Movie Classic Films — Let's Discuss

[sandeano]

Some may or may not class it as a classic but it was good to see “To sir, with love” on channel 9 last night and I think Breaker Morant (ok, not a full on classic movie) was on one of the Foxtel Movie channel during the week.

But my all-time favourite classic movie would be “Cool Hand Luke”

I actually stayed up to watch "To Sir With Love" last night, as I hadn't seen it in years and needed to view it again for something I am studying.

A pretty conservative tale it may be, but in many respects it still holds up well today, mostly due to the gravitas of Poitier's performance and Judy Geeson is as smashing as ever. Also, James Clavell (better known as a novelist) proves himself to be a pretty capable director. he gets bogged down in some of the flourishes of the time, but handles the human dimension well overall.

 

[Asgardian]

Cue Asgardian who will probably be able to trump most here with movie knowledge.

Oh no, Sandeano, Dees 31, Jacqui, and some others would have a lot better knowledge on the subject than I.

It's just that I've probably been a bit more of a fanatic in searching throughout the world for copies of movies I want, you know, public domain stuff that may well be considered if not 'lost', at least damn rare.

 

[mdc]

Might try The Quiller Memorandum on for size, first up.

I was about to post that I enjoyed this very much, and it was a lot funnier than I expected from the trailer. Particularly good was the Pinteresque dialogue. To praise the screenwriter properly, I thought, I should get his name off IMDB.

Turns out it's none other than Pinter himself.

 

[sandeano]

I was about to post that I enjoyed this very much, and it was a lot funnier than I expected from the trailer. Particularly good was the Pinteresque dialogue. To praise the screenwriter properly, I thought, I should get his name off IMDB.

Turns out it's none other than Pinter himself.

What sticks with me is (I think) George Sanders and his fellow Whitehall chap being more concerned with what was on the menu than what was occuring in the world of espionage.

I adore Pinter.

 

[mdc]

What sticks with me is (I think) George Sanders and his fellow Whitehall chap being more concerned with what was on the menu than what was occuring in the world of espionage.

- How's your lunch?
- Rather good.
- What is it?
- Pheasant.
- Well that should be rather good, is it?
- It is, rather, yes.

Perfectly Pinter.

I adore Pinter.

Likewise. Unfortunately, the Australian productions I've seen have fluctuated between mediocre and awful. The last one I saw, MTC's The Birthday Party, was closer to the latter.

 

[sandeano]

- How's your lunch?
- Rather good.
- What is it?
- Pheasant.
- Well that should be rather good, is it?
- It is, rather, yes.

Perfectly Pinter.



Likewise. Unfortunately, the Australian productions I've seen have fluctuated between mediocre and awful. The last one I saw, MTC's The Birthday Party, was closer to the latter.

Thanks for the quote, that was sublime.

Ah yes, The Birthday Party with an all-Aboriginal cast, wasn't it? There's a unrequired dimension if ever there was one.

 

[Dees 31]

- How's your lunch?
- Rather good.
- What is it?
- Pheasant.
- Well that should be rather good, is it?
- It is, rather, yes.

Perfectly Pinter.



Likewise. Unfortunately, the Australian productions I've seen have fluctuated between mediocre and awful. The last one I saw, MTC's The Birthday Party, was closer to the latter.

Oh, yes, Sandeano and mdc,
Pinter is priceless. What a talent. He also had period where he would do cameo appearances on screen. One of my favourites is Pinter playing Peter O'Toole's character's Jewish solicitor in 'Rogue Male'. A wonderful little film with the brilliant John Standing as an upper-class, English Nazi hunting down O'Toole's character for taking a 'pot-shot' at Hitler.
O'Toole is, of course, brilliant as an intense, obsessed, and throughly organised 'sports shooter'.
I recommend the film to all.
Cheers,
Dees 31 and if I don't post before Xmas... have a great one!

 

[jacqui9]

Fritz Lang's M and Murnau's City Girl are becoming available on Blu!!

Christmas has arrived

West Side Story was on telly yesterday. Reminded me how much The Hustler was well and truly screwed out of the Best Picture Oscar for 1961.

Bloody awful film. Hollywood blows chunks.

Just out of interest, are any of guys interested in a Columbia Film Noir box set I have? I accidently ordered one from Amazon and then forgot to cancel another I had already ordered. They are all restored and brand new. I have tried to ebay it, but with no success. If anyone wants it, it is yours. The following films are included and all contain commentaries from people such as Martin Scorsese and Eddie Muller.

The Sniper (1952):
The Big Heat (1953):
5 Against the House (1955):
Murder by Contract (1958):
The Lineup (1958):

 

[sandeano]

Just a heads-up that there are a few rare screenings on TV over the coming week, including "Powder Town" (1942) on 7TWO tonight at midnight, "Patterns" (1956 - written by Rod Serling) at 12.15 tomorrow afternoon on ABC1 and "Count The Hours" (1953 - Don Seigel) on 7TWO 12.20 Friday morning.

I haven't seen any of these, but they all have interesting people either in them or behind them, so they are at least worth a look.

 

[mdc]

Fritz Lang's M and Murnau's City Girl are becoming available on Blu!!

Is there really any advantage to having these on BR as opposed to DVD?

 

[itsabomber]

A movie that I think is a classic is Wages Of Fear although maybe a forgotten one. A French movie made in the 1950's it seems to have won a few awards and, according to my father, was popular globally at the theartre in its day.

It's about 6 guys driving 3 trucks full of nitro across a mountain range in Central America where a decent bump will blow them sky high. It's very white knuckle in places, more than I thought a movie from that era would have been capable of.

I highly recommend it if you ever come across a copy. It's one of my favorite movies ever.

 

[raskolnikov]

I love Alfred Hitchcock and have most of his movies in my DVD collection. Rope, North by Northwest and Vertigo would be my favourites.

Anyone seen a movie called Picnic, made in the 1950s starring Kim Novak and William Holden? I love this movie.

Some of my other favourite classic movies are Rosemary's Baby, Whatever Happened to Baby Jane, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and Fahrenheit 451.

 

[raskolnikov]

The Sound Of Music, the worst film ever made.

Wash your mouth out with soap.

 

[sandeano]

A movie that I think is a classic is Wages Of Fear although maybe a forgotten one. A French movie made in the 1950's it seems to have won a few awards and, according to my father, was popular globally at the theartre in its day.

It's about 6 guys driving 3 trucks full of nitro across a mountain range in Central America where a decent bump will blow them sky high. It's very white knuckle in places, more than I thought a movie from that era would have been capable of.

I highly recommend it if you ever come across a copy. It's one of my favorite movies ever.

It's a cracker, isn't it? The best existential action thriller ever, I'd say. Your dad was right, it was a hit at the time although, when released in Australia, much of the earlier sequences of them sitting around waiting for work were cut out. I have an original poster from the film's first release in Australia, I'll try and upload it tomorrow.

Oh and I should mention that if you ever get the chance, try and see the big budget Hollywood remake called "Sorceror". It is not as good and was a box office disaster, but as far as remakes go, it is one of the better ones.

 

[mdc]

Clouzot is a favourite of mine; so many great films in such a short filmography. I have most of them, and would heartily recommend seeking out any of the films, bar Miquette et sa mere.

 

[CURVE]

My Murnau boxset finally arrived yesterday, more than 3 weeks after it was sent from the US. Bloody Oz Post!!
Anyway, along with boxset, I also ordered 'THE GOLEM', a 1920's horror film which is the forerunner to the Frankenstein films, and a documentary, 'WHY BE GOOD?' on censorship before the enforcement of the Hays code in 1934. I sat down and watched it last night and found it very interesting. It talked about The Hays code and why it was brought in (The Catholic minority were unhappy with the explicit sexual content that was coming into cinema around the late 20's and actresses like Louise Brooks, Clara Bow, Gloria Swanson and Marlene Dietrich and their overt sexuality.) and the Studio System, and how United Artists was formed because some actors were unhappy about how they were treated by the Studios, so they created they own. A very interesting period in Hollywood history.

 

[jacqui9]

Is there really any advantage to having these on BR as opposed to DVD?

I purchased a movie called Sunrise (1927) on Blu and the quality and restoration on Blu-ray just blows you away. For a film over eighty years old, it is just incredible. Blu isn't just for those of us who like current film, it is for those who want to see their favourite silents and classics upgraded.

It is really for those who are exceptionally keen on that type of film. Lang's M is probably my favourite film, so it is a no brainer that I want it in its high-def glory, but others might be happy with the wonderful Criterion edition.

 

[jacqui9]

My Murnau boxset finally arrived yesterday, more than 3 weeks after it was sent from the US. Bloody Oz Post!!
Anyway, along with boxset, I also ordered 'THE GOLEM', a 1920's horror film which is the forerunner to the Frankenstein films, and a documentary, 'WHY BE GOOD?' on censorship before the enforcement of the Hays code in 1934. I sat down and watched it last night and found it very interesting. It talked about The Hays code and why it was brought in (The Catholic minority were unhappy with the explicit sexual content that was coming into cinema around the late 20's and actresses like Louise Brooks, Clara Bow, Gloria Swanson and Marlene Dietrich and their overt sexuality.) and the Studio System, and how United Artists was formed because some actors were unhappy about how they were treated by the Studios, so they created they own. A very interesting period in Hollywood history.

Pre-code is just another league of its own. I have about four pre-code collections with docos and it is a wonderful exploration of not only film, but society in general. Universal released a pre-code boxset early this year, included was a list of the rules governing film after the Pre-code era. Most of them will raise eyebrows. Many films after the early 1940s were continuously edited to suit with the governing bodies of various states in America. The most popular theme of pre-code was the 'Shop Girl' who takes the offer to become a mistress of a rich old man. Joan Crawford and Constance Bennett made their bread and butter from roles such as these. One wonders which direction Jean Harlow's (the epitome of sex in the pre-code days) career would have taken if she hadn't been killed so tragically young - she was 26 when she died. Howard Hughes always tried to buck the Code with films like The Outlaw. He picked Jane Russell specifically to show off her exceptionally generous breasts.

Speaking of United Artists, in the early 1970s, Barbra Streisand, Sidney Poitier, Steve McQueen and Paul Newman tried to control their own films by arranging the same set up called First Artists. It produced films such as A Star is Born, The Life amd Times of Judge Roy Bean, Tom Horn, A Warm December, An Enemy of the People, among others. Only one of these films (A Star is Born) made money, and First Artists died in 1980.

 

[sandeano]

Speaking of United Artists, in the early 1970s, Barbra Streisand, Sidney Poitier, Steve McQueen and Paul Newman tried to control their own films by arranging the same set up called First Artists. It produced films such as A Star is Born, The Life amd Times of Judge Roy Bean, Tom Horn, A Warm December, An Enemy of the People, among others. Only one of these films (A Star is Born) made money, and First Artists died in 1980.

Surely "Uptown Saturday Night" would have made money? The boxoffice for that film was sensational.

In terms of independent film production, the only artist to really make a serious fist of it in the later studio era was, I would reckon, Burt Lancaster. His Hecht-Hill-Lancaster group was very successful in producing films not just for its star, but also other well regarded films of the time including "Marty".

 

[sandeano]

The whole pre-code era is fascinating, isn't it? I am in no way an advocate for censorship, but there is something quite remarkable about how the filmmakers of the time, through their inventive use of codes and suggestion could circumvent the production code. This was too the point where many of these films were more scary, sexy and damning than features of the open-slather period.

May I suggest an excellent documentary series entitled "Sex, Censorship and the Silver Screen", hosted by Raquel Welch, that covers how sex has been treated by Hollywood. The episodes focusing on the pre-code era are essential.

 

[CURVE]

The whole pre-code era is fascinating, isn't it? I am in no way an advocate for censorship, but there is something quite remarkable about how the filmmakers of the time, through their inventive use of codes and suggestion could circumvent the production code. This was too the point where many of these films were more scary, sexy and damning than features of the open-slather period.

In a Polish documentary, Krzysztof Kieslowski said that the strong censorship laws in the Eastern European countries created more creative directors who required a greater imagination and ingenuity to get there message past the censorship boards. People like Arkusz, Borowczyk, Holland, Polanski, Stuhr, Wajda, Zanussi & Zulawski all started they careers in Poland in the fifties, sixties & seventies under strong censorship laws. I think something similiar happened in Hollywood in the forties, fifties, sixties and seventies.

May I suggest an excellent documentary series entitled "Sex, Censorship and the Silver Screen", hosted by Raquel Welch, that covers how sex has been treated by Hollywood. The episodes focusing on the pre-code era are essential.

Is there an episode on Raquel and how she's been treated by Hollywood?

 

[jacqui9]

The whole pre-code era is fascinating, isn't it? I am in no way an advocate for censorship, but there is something quite remarkable about how the filmmakers of the time, through their inventive use of codes and suggestion could circumvent the production code. This was too the point where many of these films were more scary, sexy and damning than features of the open-slather period.

Summed it up beautifully. Couldn't have said it better myself Seandano. So much was left to subtle acting, scripts, shadows etc...rather than outright sex scenes, nudity and men and women jumping all over each other. I'm no prude by all means, but I find suggestive sexiness far more enticing than outright 'all-in' sex.

Baby Face with Barbara Stanwyck is one of my favourite pre-code films. She is such a sultry, actress. She simply burns the screen with her voice, eyes and legs.

Jean Harlow was a manufactured MGM sex symbol. (The same as Marilyn Monroe), but she had such a sexy on-screen persona that was simply irresistable.

In regards to Uptown Saturday Night, I stand to be corrected on that one. I got my sources from a biography on Steve McQueen, but I certainly could be wrong.

 

[Asgardian]

In terms of independent film production, the only artist to really make a serious fist of it in the later studio era was, I would reckon, Burt Lancaster. His Hecht-Hill-Lancaster group was very successful in producing films not just for its star, but also other well regarded films of the time including "Marty".

I would include John Wayne's Batjac Productions, although primarily a Wayne vehicle, it did some nice stuff, and The Alamo ...

 

[Magpiespower]

The whole pre-code era is fascinating, isn't it? I am in no way an advocate for censorship, but there is something quite remarkable about how the filmmakers of the time, through their inventive use of codes and suggestion could circumvent the production code.

Similar thing with Iranian cinema today.

Amazing films have been coming out of Iran and the Middle East for some time now...

 

[Magpiespower]

Can anyone explain to me how Breakfast at Tiffany's is regarded a classic?

A truly awful film.

Gets my nom for Worst Adaptation Ever.