Movie Classic Films — Let's Discuss

[Asgardian]

Watched a couple of sadly unknown films tonight.

A British film, The Next of Kin made in 1942, starring Mervyn Johns, Nova Pilbeam, Phyllis Stanley & Basil Sydney.

It was originally meant to be a training film for their armed forces, however the film studio saw it could be so much more & bumped up its budget and was eventually able to get approval for commercial release. It turned out a box office smash. The story is really very simple, a special unit is assigned a tricky job of sabotage, however by a series of simple mistakes, a careless word here, a briefcase left there, and pressure put on a susceptible young lady, all add up to disaster. The Nazis find out about the upcoming raid and can plan in advance. All very powerful stuff in England still suffering under the privations of war. Watch this movie if you can.

The 2nd movie is an American film called Violated made in 1953, starring a bunch of unknowns who, in the main, never continued in the industry.

Meant for the "art-houses", "grind-houses" markets, this is a surprisingly effective story about a nut case photographer who can't make it with the girls so he kills them & takes their hair. Essentially none of the characters, victims, killer, cops, bystanders, evoke emotional sympathy, but it does generate some empathy. For a movie with next to no budget, it's worth viewing.

 

[Asgardian]

Watched 2 very different movies tonight

Anatahan made in 1953. It's a Japanese film directed by Josef von Sternberg, okay, that may sound a little odd. Sternberg also wrote the screenplay, narrated the English voice over & photographed the film.




A dozen Japanese sailors are abandoned on a Pacific island behind enemy lines in 1944. This island is inhabited by a plantation overseer, but he has nothing left to oversee as the island & plantation is also abandoned, & a pretty young Japanese woman. They are all left there for 7 years, in which time the warrent officer takes control, maintaining discipline, but when he loses face all hell breaks loose. So then everyone wants to take over & get the symbols of power, a couple of guns that were found in a wrecked airplane. They also all want the greater symbol of supremacy, the girl herself, and for this they are willing to kill, & do so. This was based on a true story that was transformed into a Japanese novel. Well worth watching if you can find a copy.

Without Warning! made in 1952 starring Edward Binns and several other reasonable character actors.

Film-noir at its gritty & dirty best with a psycho killer out to kill blondes coz his unfaithful wife was a blonde. It's done in a semi-documentary style back & forth between the psycho & the cops on his trail, but working with precious little in the way of clues. This movie has been released commercially so it's readily available, for fans of the genre it's well worth the $'s.

 

[Asgardian]

Had a heap on DVD's arrive today, ranging between the 1920's - 1950's

I'll review them over the coming weeks.

Is there any special films anyone wants to know about?

Or is anyone looking for some specific type of film?

 

[Asgardian]

Again 2 very different films tonight

Damals (aka At That Time) made in Germany in 1943 starring Zarah Leander

An odd film made in Nazi Germany, 1943, without any of the expected Nazi propaganda. A lady doctor is accused of killing an ex-lover, whilst in jail we are treated to many flashbacks of past events & even a daughter. It's a bit removed from a usual murder mystery, but the sugar sweet themes, which are obviously Nazi government requirements for a population that was requiring escapist entertainment, leaves an unsatisfying taste.

Little Red Monkey (aka The Case of the Red Monkey) made in 1955, starring Richard Conte & Rona Anderson.



This is a rather neat cold war era thriller, nuclear scientists in London are being knocked off with too much regularity and not a clue in sight. Enter another nuclear scientist who has just escaped from behind the Iron Curtain & is on his way to America via England. The Americans send a state department operative to London to ensure the safety of the scientist whilst there & on the trip to the States. While there naturally a bit of love interest happens, and all the while the scientist is being kept safe by Scotland Yard, but in what I would call less than safe circumstances. An unsuccessful attempt is made on the scientist, with the only clue being a small monkey's paw print. To go any further would start to give away too much. This is a neat little film appropriate for the times in which it was made, well worth watching.

 

[CURVE]

I'm starting to find Hollywood cinema, classic and current, more and more difficult to watch. Compared to the cinema of Europe, particularly the classic Euro Cinema of 60's, 70's, 80's & early 90's, it just feels very immature and melodramic.
It's not every Hollywood film, there are still a number that I really enjoy, but there are hundreds that I used to like 10-15 years ago that I find myself turning off 20-25 minutes in.

 

[nicky]

I'm starting to find Hollywood cinema, classic and current, more and more difficult to watch. Compared to the cinema of Europe, particularly the classic Euro Cinema of 60's, 70's, 80's & early 90's, it just feels very immature and melodramic.
It's not every Hollywood film, there are still a number that I really enjoy, but there are hundreds that I used to like 10-15 years ago that I find myself turning off 20-25 minutes in.

That is exactly how i feel. I studied classic Hollywood and Italian cinema at the same time at uni (a subject in each), so the contrast and superiority really stood out. I felt the way you feel way back then. Much prefer old European cinema over classic Hollywood.

edit: Not trying to diss Asguardin's passion here because some of the films he's posted sound fascinating and are tempting.

 

[Asgardian]

Watched a couple of oddball movies tonight

The Arsenal Stadium Mystery made in the UK in 1939 starring Leslie Banks, Greta Gynt & Esmond Knight. Directed by Thorold Dickinson.



A charity soccer match is held between a pro team - Arsenal & an amateur team - Trojans. One of the Trojans players isn't particularly popular, so him keeling over dead on the pitch mid-game may not come as a surprise. Scotland Yard is called in to investigate what happened with some nice twists thrown in. The serious & comic tone of the movie & coppers seems very much to have been an inspiration for the later Alastair Sim movie - Green for Danger. Both well worth watching.

Chained for Life made in 1952, starring the real life Siamese twins, the Hilton sisters who were in Tod Browning's "Freaks", some 20 years earlier. Also starring the ever reliable Allen Jenkins.



This movie is pure exploitation crap, but the subject drew me in. It's set in a travelling stage variety show with the Siamese twins as a star singing act and the soon to be groom is a sharpshooter.

One of the Siamese twins wants to marry, the guy has proposed, (how would that work logistically?) but is banned from doing so in many USA states. The marriage goes ahead, but once it has happened the groom dumps the girl/s?, it was all a publicity stunt for his act. The twin who was dumped watches his act with a tear in her eye, the other twin gets out a gun & shoots the swine on the stage.

So how does the justice system deal with this situation? The Siamese twins cannot be medically separated, so does the killer get off, or does the innocent twin go to jail, or worse, are they executed?

Like I said, the movie is trash, but the question asked is interesting.

 

[CURVE]

edit: Not trying to diss Asguardin's passion here because some of the films he's posted sound fascinating and are tempting.

Same here. I like his reviews.

It would be a little remiss of me not to wish my favourite film star a Happy Birthday. Claudia Cardinale turns 75 today (Paris time).



Happy Birthday to the most beautiful woman in history.

 

[Asgardian]

Watched 2 interesting films tonight

Kampen om tungtvannet (aka Operation Swallow: The Battle for Heavy Water) made in 1948 in Norway with pretty much a cast of unknowns playing themselves in their roles during WW2.




If you are a WW2 history buff, &/or a movie nut, you'd pretty much know the story behind this movie which was the inspiration for the Kirk Douglas film, The Heroes of Telemark.

It tells of the operation to disable the Nazi heavy water production program & to destroy what stock they had accumulated. Naturally there's plenty more to it, but that is the gist of what happens. This movie is in Norwegian, French, German & English with a minor English commentary track talking about key elements. But it has no subtitles, so if you cannot speak those other languages, lots of the finer detail will pass with you having to make several guesses.

As a movie it's an okay bit of entertainment with the above limitation. As a historical document this is a vital contribution to our past.

The Big Combo made in 1955 with a killer cast. Richard Conte, Brian Donlevy, Cornel Wilde, Lee Van Cleef, Earl Holliman, Jean Wallace, the tragic Helen Walker, John Hoyt & Ted de Corsia.

This is what film-noir is all about, tough, gritty, dark, bad guys who are evil & violent, they don't care who they have to rub out & cops who are obsessed. The Big Combo has it all.

The cop has been after the crim for years, costing the police dept. tons of money, which pisses his bosses right off. Complicating matters is his affection for the bad guy's moll, and you guessed it, the crim aint happy so he targets the cop killing the cops other girl in the process. There are hidden women and secret stories, none of which the bad guy wants known, there are big bosses abroad & callous hit men. it's all here making a fantastic movie.

This is available commercially & I heartily recommend it.

 

[Asgardian]

D.O.A. made in 1950, starring Edmond O'Brien & Pamela Britton, directed by Rudolph Maté. This is one of the biggies, as important to film-noir as any other movie.

A nobody accountant from nowheresville USA is heading to the big smoke for a week of fun, not taking his girl, who he isn't yet 100% sure he wants to be with for the rest of his life, little knowing that can be measured in days. Once arriving ready for fun, his girl, who is also his secretary, gets hold of him by phone telling him someone, that neither of them know, is trying to get hold of him urgently. Naturally he gives that the brush off as he feels it's not urgent for him. He ends up joining a group of salespersons who are also out on the town at a busy nightclub which is too loud, too full and lacks the company he really wants ...... well not quite until he spots a girl at the bar, so he shimmys over like a middle aged man out on the prowl, forgetting his drink, but someone mysterious doesn't miss it, something happens, he gets his drink and it's not quite right, so he gets other drinks, intending to meet up with this girl from the bar at a different establishment. BUT later on he doesn't feel right, so he flops back to his hotel. Waking in the morning, feeling even less well he goes to a medical clinic, and gets some real bad news.

All this is told after the fact, he has already been to the police to report a murder, his, he has been poisoned.

The guts of the movie is why & who.

This is film-noir at it's very best, I recommend any movie fan to by this commercially released film.

Stranger from Venus, made in 1954, is a British film knock-off of The Day the Earth Stood Still. It stars Patricia Neal (who was also in TDTESS), Helmut Dantine & Derek Bond.

UFO's are being spotted on Britain, but the authorities don't realise one of them has dropped a passenger. This visitor to our world is very polite and he has healing powers, plus he wants to speak to the leaders of our world. Naturally the Poms don't take this too seriously sending a couple of their own representatives. The visitor relents and tells them they must be careful with any continuation of nuclear programs, coz we are being watched by the visitor's mates. A meeting is set up for more visitors to come & speak to the world's leaders, but unknown to the visitor it is a trap being designed by the Poms to capture a UFO.

As a knock-off of an important film it's not too bad, with just enough differences to remain interesting, this movie has been released commercially.

 

[Asgardian]

Watched "He Walked by Night" made in 1948, starring Richard Basehart, Scott Brady, Whit Bissell & Jack Webb. Directed by Alfred L. Werker & also Anthony Mann in an uncredited capacity.

This is another B film-noir, but an important one. One of the bit part players, Jack Webb started up a friendship with the technical advisor who prompted him to create the "Dragnet" radio show, and later the TV show, in its documentary style. He Walked by Night also followed that path, in part based on a real case of an intelligent man who doesn't mind killing cops, doing some burglary & robbery & stealing electronic inventions from their rightful owner.

Interesting as a good film-noir & as a template for later shows.

Also watched "The Man from Beyond" made in 1922, starring Harry Houdini & Nita Naldi, obviously this is a silent movie.



On a trek above the Arctic circle, lost & hungry, some men come across a derelict ship which has a man frozen in ice on board. Naturally they hack out the corpse, but he aint dead, he was just frozen for a 100 years. Finally getting back to civilization, the ice block sees his girl from 100 years ago, naturally he's mistaken, she's a descendant of that lady, but the ice block is all confused and ends up committed. To go any further would give away the whole movie, so I wont do that.

This is an interesting time capsule, if only to see the great Houdini in an acting role, he also wrote & produced this movie made by his own production company.

 

[Asgardian]

Watched 2 interesting films tonight

Barbed Wire made in 1927, obviously a silent movie, starring Clive Brook & Pola Negri, directed by Rowland V. Lee.



Set on a French farm during WW1, the farmer's son joins the army to fight the Germans, while the farmer & his daughter toil away on the farm. The French authorities decide they want some of the farmer's land on which they will build a POW camp, leaving the farmer the rest of his land to grow food for the POW's. His daughter, Mona (thinking her brother has died in the war), despises the Germans & makes her feelings known, until a dashing German POW catches her eye. Their love grows causing her to be branded a traitor by the nearby French citizens. Several twists happens, but you can watch it to find out what.

Démanty noci (AKA Diamonds of the Night) made in 1964 with a cast of unknowns, directed by Jan Nemec, based on Arnost Lustig's life story & made in Czechoslovakia, subtitled in English.

If you want only linear films, don't watch this one, it'll do your brain in. Two boys/young men are on the run, they are obviously branded & the old age home guard are after them, dead or alive it seems. The boys are escapees from a Nazi train taking them to one of their death camps. This is a movie with no butterfly's & daisies & very little dialogue. But it is high on symbolism and has its share of nasty characters doing the dirty work for the Nazis.

This is a movie experience, one that will affect you in individual ways.

This is a must see movie.

 

[Asgardian]

Week-end à Zuydcoote (aka Weekend at Dunkirk) made in 1964 is a French film directed by Henri Verneuil, starring Jean-Paul Belmondo, Catherine Spaak, Jean-Pierre Marielle, Pierre Mondy & Georges Géret.



As you can probably guess from the poster & title the movie is set around Dunkirk where the Allied armies fled to from the all-conquering German army in mid 1940. Specifically it focuses on a few French soldiers, over a couple of days, who had a lot more trouble escaping than the English soldiers, not that they had an easy time. The flotilla of rescue boats from England concentrated on rescuing English troops, leaving many French soldiers to cope best they could, either on the beach or trying to flee elsewhere. Belmondo has hitched up with Spaak, wanting her to go with him, but she refuses to abandon her house, despite the growing menace of German artillery & soldiers. But is there any place which could be deemed safe those days?

Also have finally got hold of a movie I have been after for a very long time. Alaska Patrol made in 1949, starring Richard Travis & Helen Westcott.



An Axis spy is caught & killed while he was up to no good, but luckily for the Americans they have an agent who could be an identical twin, so naturally they set him up as the Axis spy hoping he can get to goods on the whole spy ring. Naturally one little detail could trip him up, so you guessed it, he gets tripped up, but this being an American film with the whole country paranoid about the Commies, the all American agent has to come through, the symbolism is obvious.

 

[Asgardian]

Is anyone interested in more old classic movie reviews?

 

[thurmanmunson]

Love Diamonds of the Night. Nemec is underrated

 

[Asgardian]

Love Diamonds of the Night. Nemec is underrated

Perhaps you can write some short reviews Mark?

 

[CURVE]

I watched a little classic from Italy last night, Il Magnifico Cornuto (The Magnificent Cockold) made in 1964 by Antonio Pietrangeli. Pietrangeli was a well regarded director who made some fine films in the 50's and 60's (The Visitor, The Queens & The Girl From Parma) but never achieved the fame of his contempories such as Fellini and Antonioni.

Ugo Tognazzi and Claudia Cardinale play a newly married and well to do couple, they appear to be happy together, but one night Andrea (Ugo) starts up a conversation with another woman and they have a brief affair. Because he is having an affair, he convinces himself that his wife Maria Grazia (Cardinale) is also having an affair and this triggers some wild, sexy, often funny "dream' sequences where Maria Grazia in the arms of numerous men, or performing a sensual striptease for a group men. Maria Grazia isn't having an affair, but Andrea is too paranoid to see it, and it all comes to a head one night at a party when he discovers that Maria Grazia received a parking ticket late one night when she said she was at home (guess where he was? ) and this starts a huge arguement that leads to them not speaking to each other and Andrea resorting to spying on her and listening in on her phone conversations.

This film sounds like a light comedy, and it does have plenty of light, funny moments, especially Andrea's silly, obsessive behavour, but it also has some darker moments, especially in the second half when the couple are estranged and some of his fantasies lean more towards violence than humour.

Interestingly Claudia Cardinale was given top billing for this film even though the film centres around the Tognazzi character. Claudia made this film after 8 1/2, The Leopard, Bebo's Girl and The Pink Panther, she was at the height of her powers (and some might say beauty) and was the most in demand actress in Italy and Europe and perhaps even Hollywood. She was 25 years old, making 3 or 4 films a year with some of the best directors and stars in Europe and America. It was around this time that she was being called the next Loren or Lollabrigida by the world press, but she never sort stardom like either of them and was happier living away from the cameras, that she is why she probably isn't remembered as fondly as Loren or Lollabrigida. Personally I think time and her legacy will change that.

 

[thurmanmunson]

Perhaps you can write some short reviews Mark?

Nah bro, I'm hopeless at dissecting or articulating on movies. I'm not that good with words. I like your reviews though, good work

 

[Asgardian]

Nah bro, I'm hopeless at dissecting or articulating on movies. I'm not that good with words. I like your reviews though, good work

From DEVO 's effort above I'd have to say he's the champ.

 

[nicky]

Is anyone interested in more old classic movie reviews?

Yes for sure.

 

[Asgardian]

Yes for sure.

Okay, due to the thunderous response ... , I'll do some tonight

I'll try to do movies that most people have never heard of, because frankly, who needs another Casablanca, Citizen Kane or Gone with the Wind review?

 

[CURVE]

Okay, due to the thunderous response ... , I'll do some tonight

I'll try to do movies that most people have never heard of, because frankly, who needs another Casablanca, Citizen Kane or Gone with the Wind review?

Only if they are negative reviews, which I'm more than happy to do.

Casablanca - Over rated, melodramitic mush full of terrible acting and atrocious one-liners that failed when originally released. There was a reason it failed, it is crap.

Citizen Kane - Revolutionary and groudbreaking (my big hairy butt) film that apparently changed cinema forever, but was really nothing more than homage to the greatly superior German silents of 1920's. A classic example of Hollywood hyping up one of it's own and totally ignoring the true groudbreakers.

Gone With The Wind - Frankly my dears, I don't give a damn.

 

[Black Flag]

i've tried to watch a few classic oldies.... just can't get past the wooden acting of the day.

 

[Asgardian]

West of Shanghai (1937), directed by Aussie born John Farrow, starring Boris Karloff.



Set in a wild & wooly far north China, with Boris playing a Chinese warlord, the usual hijinks occur for a movie from the 1930's concerned with China. The Chinese are displayed possessing a particular code of morals, when it suits them. Surprisingly a couple of the westerners fare a whole lot worse with downright despicable characteristics, greed, opportunism & cowardice. Two rival oil men travel to far north China to try & get in on a large oil strike, one travels with his daughter, the other using his separated wife, who lives in the area as a missionary, as an excuse for the journey. On the journey, when sharing a train cabin with a different Chinese general they are caught up with local officials when the general is murdered in a blackout, surviving that moment of peril when the assassin is caught the continue on to the oil land, where the guy who struck oil is found to be very keen on the nearly ex-wife of the other bloke. They stop off at a walled city only to be caught up in local affairs when Warlord Boris moves in with his men & immediately more problems occur.

To go any further would give away the ending, so I'll leave it there hoping you seek out this entertaining movie.

I gave it a 6 / 10

The Blitz: London's Longest Night (2005) is a doco / drama with many reenactments.



Tells the specific story, during the WW2 Blitz on London, about saving St. Paul's Cathedral. Many people who were there, firemen, witnesses, survivors, family members of those involved, all tell their story in a matter of fact way, letting the event be the focus of the film-makers endeavours, rather than the people. Plus many of the pivotal moments are reenacted heightening the the real danger of the people & places for the viewer.

I gave it an 8 / 10

 

[Asgardian]

Bomb in the High Street (1961) with a cast of minor actors, including Leslie Howard's son, Ronald.



A rather neat Pommy film-noir about a group of crooks disguised as bomb disposal soldiers called in to defuse a newly discovered unexploded Nazi bomb leftover from the blitz. The crooks actually set up a dummy bomb, then reported it to the local cop-shop, then left the number for the cops to ring to call in the army, which was actually a number to call the crooks. All this to make sure a neighbourhood is evacuated giving the crooks free access to a bank, which they take full use of. However there's a thorn in their side, a runaway couple, who want to get married, are in the area secretly and the witness all the goings on.

I gave it 7/10

The Kangaroo Kid (1950) directed by the prolific Lesley Selander, starring Martha Hyer & Jock Mahoney.



An American detective comes to Australia to help us poor Aussies solve a series of gold robberies that have links back to the States. He poses as a stage coach driver who becomes attached to a joey (baby roo) & hence picks up his nickname, he also wears his guns, & uses them, Yank style which gets up the nose of the local constabulary. He also picks up the obligatory girl, in the meantime the crooks, who aint dumb, figure out who he is & try to frame him, allowing them to do their worst & get away with the loot. We all know that aint gonna happen.

I gave it 5/10