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INTJ

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Posts tagged "paramount summer classic film series"

Zero de Conduite (1933) Jean Vigo

A very small, early film (real date, 1933) from a filmmaker who died far too early. I think Truffaut definitely found some influences for The 400 Blows here. Absolutely beautiful images, beautiful little story. I highly recommend watching this if you ever get the chance.

#171 - 8/1/2012

L’Atalante (1934) Jean Vigo

I have even less to say about L’Atalante, if that’s even possible.

There are some parts that are so beautiful and so perfect, and so much is said through images instead of words (always a plus in my book) that on that front it was really wonderful. But the relationship left me cold, and then I fell asleep for a small bit (I think) near the end. So I’m not sure I even want to try to rate this one.

This is what happens when I try to write about the stuff I’ve seen a month ago =(

#172 - 8/1/2012

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The Exorcist (1973) William Friedkin Alright, let’s get this shit back on track… There’s really nothing like sitting alone in a big, old theatre, and wondering if you’re going to make a total fool of yourself. The Exorcist, however, worms its way inside you; it provides a deep unease and an unsettling sense of horror, rather than jump scares.I took notes throughout this viewing and I’m still not entirely sure how it actually works. It’s a slow burn, certainly - the film starts in the middle east, and stays there for what one would think is far too long. We then follow two characters, separately, who don’t meet up until halfway through. The titular event doesn’t come until the very end. But still, the pacing seems perfect for the film. It makes the shocking moments have an even greater impact. There are so many things about it that just seem unusual, it really keeps you feeling unbalanced.Much of my horror comes from the state of medicine of the time period, intensified through the identification with the mother, and the extent to which she tries to deal with the situation rationally. Probably the biggest personal horror was that it almost convinced non-believer me that the situation was real and the exorcism necessary (hah). The spider-walk scene, as the telling sign that the daughter is possessed and not just mentally ill, is very effective (although the book version sounds even creepier - “In the book, the spider-walk is very quiet, and consists of Regan following Sharon around and occasionally licking her ankle” - that sentence gives me the howling fantods). What really struck me was how the realistic production effects (filming inside a freezer to make the actors’ breath visible, physically moving the actors using mechanics) lent so much weight to the images and effects.I would like to watch this again and just pay attention to the sound. Plus, all of the bells in the score reminded me a little of Goblin/Suspiria (or is that just me?). #169 - 7/28/2012

The Exorcist (1973) William Friedkin

Alright, let’s get this shit back on track…

There’s really nothing like sitting alone in a big, old theatre, and wondering if you’re going to make a total fool of yourself. The Exorcist, however, worms its way inside you; it provides a deep unease and an unsettling sense of horror, rather than jump scares.

I took notes throughout this viewing and I’m still not entirely sure how it actually works. It’s a slow burn, certainly - the film starts in the middle east, and stays there for what one would think is far too long. We then follow two characters, separately, who don’t meet up until halfway through. The titular event doesn’t come until the very end. But still, the pacing seems perfect for the film. It makes the shocking moments have an even greater impact. There are so many things about it that just seem unusual, it really keeps you feeling unbalanced.

Much of my horror comes from the state of medicine of the time period, intensified through the identification with the mother, and the extent to which she tries to deal with the situation rationally. Probably the biggest personal horror was that it almost convinced non-believer me that the situation was real and the exorcism necessary (hah). The spider-walk scene, as the telling sign that the daughter is possessed and not just mentally ill, is very effective (although the book version sounds even creepier - “In the book, the spider-walk is very quiet, and consists of Regan following Sharon around and occasionally licking her ankle” - that sentence gives me the howling fantods). What really struck me was how the realistic production effects (filming inside a freezer to make the actors’ breath visible, physically moving the actors using mechanics) lent so much weight to the images and effects.

I would like to watch this again and just pay attention to the sound. Plus, all of the bells in the score reminded me a little of Goblin/Suspiria (or is that just me?).

#169 - 7/28/2012

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Frankenstein  (1931) James Whale

I haven’t seen a lot of the old monster movies, so I don’t have much of a point of comparison, but this one was great. I thought a lot about The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, particularly in the opening scenes - lots of canted angles, and a path that I expected Cesare to walk up at any moment. The photography is really beautiful, but I found myself wishing the camera would linger on a few particularly beautiful frames just a second or two longer - sneaking into the lecture hall, a moment in the monster’s cell, the mob moving across a field with that diagonal band of light. The vertical structures, reaching toward the heavens, are really striking.

The two main performances cannot go without comment either. Although both main characters are monsters in their own right, there is a deep human element in the portrayal of both. Dr. Frankenstein is completely recognizable as the tortured genius, reaching precarious heights - and fall he does. Boris Karloff, as Frankenstein’s monster, is a little laughable at times, but overall, really astonishing as a mad, tortured animal grasping for humanity.

Fritz is an asshole though (but also understandable in his slide from the biggest monster/ picked on, to the next-to-biggest monster/ picker on).

#168 - 7/28/2012

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The Night of the Hunter (1955) Charles Laughton

While watching The Night of the Hunter, I was repeatedly reminded of Antichrist; I’m still not entirely sure that’s a valid comparison, but it’s what I thought of. I think there are some very superficial similarities - the beautiful, dream/nightmare-like expressionist style, the detailed shots of animals. But I also think that The Night of the Hunter seemed like a horror movie in the way that Antichrist was a horror movie - not a traditional one, but one that is still very much so, at its core. I think I was even more disturbed by The Night of the Hunter, which did not rely on shock for its horror.

I found this film to be strangely terrifying. The picture is told mostly from the point of view of a little boy whose father robbed a bank and was hanged for the crime. Robert Mitchum, as the man who shared a cell with the boy’s father and learned that the father hid the money, is an imposing, menacing presence. Others have pointed out the dreamlike/fairytale nature of the film, but all I felt was a childlike identification with the boy, and the pure desire to get away from that man.

And wow, Lillian Gish.

Also, that was an interesting string of movies - three films in a row in which a character manipulates religion to cover up, justify, or conceal murder.

#158 - 7/10/2012

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Meet Me in St. Louis (1944) Vincente Minnelli

“Tootie! What’s wrong with Tootie?”

Why, her sister just sang her the most melancholy song ever, of course she’s bashing in the heads of snow people.

Meet Me In St. Louis is an unexpected treasure. This was my second viewing, and I could see owning this film. On the surface, it is a charming ode to family and the Midwest. But even the sweetest confections need to be tempered with some darkness, and this film certainly is. 

The film centers around the Midwestern Smith family - mother, father, grandpa, maid, and five children - older sisters Rose and Esther (Judy Garland), brother Lon Jr., and younger sisters Agnes and Tootie. The younger sisters provide much of this darkness - both seem strangely obsessed with death and illness, and while this produces the funniest and most memorable lines, it is also strangely (and perfectly) unsettling. In one of the weirdest non sequitur scenes in cinema, Agnes and Tootie partake in a totally dark and bizarre Halloween ritual.

This is also Judy Garland at her best. Her voice swings and slides through some really delightful songs. Particularly of note is “Have yourself a merry little Christmas”, my favorite Christmas carol and a really beautiful (but melancholy) song, which was supposed to be even more of a downer in earlier versions. She’s particularly beautiful in this film, but still shows a bit of her youthful gawkiness. This translates into a really appealing funniness, but a deep vulnerability also shows through. Another layer of darkness also comes from this vulnerability, and from a knowledge of her troubled private life.

And just think - without this movie we might not have gotten **Liza Minelli**! (jazz hands)

#148 - 7/1/2012

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North by Northwest (1959) Alfred Hitchcock

There’s something about North by Northwest that I just don’t like. I recognize that it’s a great film; it takes the same basic concept as The 39 Steps, builds it out, polishes it up, and adds Cary Grant. Sounds pretty foolproof to me. 

But both times I’ve seen this one, something has left me cold. I felt more that I should like it, instead of actually liking it. I think that something may be Eva Marie Saint. This film really hinges on the relationship between Roger Thornhill and Eve Kendall, and I never get to the point where I want Roger to end up with her. Whereas with The 39 Steps, I adored watching Donat and Carroll together.

So my personal quibble aside, North by Northwest is still very entertaining, very funny, very exciting. The set pieces are great. I enjoyed reading about how Hitch wasn’t authorized to film at the UN, and so had to conceal a camera in the back of a truck to get some of the external footage. And the way that Hitch builds the tension in the crop duster scene is excellent - establishing time and space very clearly in order to build tension. 

A quote from Hitchcock in Hitchcock - Truffaut displays his brilliance - “I’ll tell you how the idea came about [for the crop duster scene]. I found I was faced with the old cliche situation: the man who is put on the spot, probably to be shot. Now, how is this usually done? A dark night at a narrow intersection of the city. The waiting victim standing in a pool of light under the street lamp. The cobbles are ‘washed with the recent rains.’ A close-up of a black cat slinking along against the wall of a house. A shot of a window, with a furtive face pulling back the curtain to look out. The slow approach of a black limousine, et cetera, et cetera. Now, what was the antithesis of a scene like this? No darkness, no pool of light, no mysterious figures in windows. Just nothing. Just bright sunshine and a blank, open countryside with barely a house or tree in which any lurking menaces could hide.”

#143 - 6/23/2012

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The 39 Steps (1935) Alfred Hitchcock This was my first time watching The 39 Steps, and not even close to my last. I’m already planning on picking up the new Criterion Blu Ray. I absolutely adored it, and have quickly moved it up into my top 10. Who knows, it might go higher yet. Hitchcock created a really top-notch story, with immensely likable characters, and wonderful moments heavily influenced by the silent era. Robert Donat and Madeleine Carroll are perfect together, probably one of my favorite duos. I loved their on-screen chemistry and banter. The 39 Steps really highlights Hitch’s masterful editing in the service of fantastic storytelling. There is the showy stuff, of course - the sequence with the discovery of murder, the silent shot of the housekeeper’s scream, the cut to the train with whistle blowing - but in general, The 39 Steps is a masterclass in editing, creating a fast pace with no waste, and all the dull bits cut out. There was also a fantastic sequence that I’m hoping I’m remembering correctly, I think I gasped out loud, and I really don’t know how it was done, there had to be some trickery involved. I think it starts with a medium close-up of Donat and Carroll from inside a car, then the camera seems to swing out of the car and around into a long shot, all in one seemingly continuous take. Is that right? It took my breath away. I haven’t watched it again yet, but it’s one of his films that are in the public domain, so I can check it out again soon, and you should too. #141 - 6/21/2012

The 39 Steps (1935) Alfred Hitchcock

This was my first time watching The 39 Steps, and not even close to my last. I’m already planning on picking up the new Criterion Blu Ray. I absolutely adored it, and have quickly moved it up into my top 10. Who knows, it might go higher yet.

Hitchcock created a really top-notch story, with immensely likable characters, and wonderful moments heavily influenced by the silent era. Robert Donat and Madeleine Carroll are perfect together, probably one of my favorite duos. I loved their on-screen chemistry and banter.

The 39 Steps really highlights Hitch’s masterful editing in the service of fantastic storytelling. There is the showy stuff, of course - the sequence with the discovery of murder, the silent shot of the housekeeper’s scream, the cut to the train with whistle blowing - but in general, The 39 Steps is a masterclass in editing, creating a fast pace with no waste, and all the dull bits cut out.

There was also a fantastic sequence that I’m hoping I’m remembering correctly, I think I gasped out loud, and I really don’t know how it was done, there had to be some trickery involved. I think it starts with a medium close-up of Donat and Carroll from inside a car, then the camera seems to swing out of the car and around into a long shot, all in one seemingly continuous take. Is that right? It took my breath away.

I haven’t watched it again yet, but it’s one of his films that are in the public domain, so I can check it out again soon, and you should too.

#141 - 6/21/2012

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Anatomy of a Murder (1959) Otto Preminger Despite its >2.5 hour length and deliberate pace, with almost 2/3 taking place in the courtroom, I found this to be strangely compelling. The original law and order, maybe =) I was so ready to attack this film for being problematic, ready to break out the Laura Mulvey and, ready to take on its male Producer/Director/Writer, because I started to get really uncomfortable in spots due to the questions the film was asking - was she raped, was she lying, did she deserve it. But the film questions everything. The way this film is constructed, with its questions concerning the nature of truth, is outstanding. Anatomy of a Murder is critical of everything everyone says, of everyone’s behavior, of the role of the lawyers, the judge, the jury, of the criminal justice proceedings. Of everything, including the rape victim. In the end, you’ve questioned everything, but you’re no closer to the truth. There’s also so much to like about the casting. I thought that every role was perfectly fit, and I especially loved the judge. #140 - 6/20/2012

Anatomy of a Murder (1959) Otto Preminger

Despite its >2.5 hour length and deliberate pace, with almost 2/3 taking place in the courtroom, I found this to be strangely compelling. The original law and order, maybe =)

I was so ready to attack this film for being problematic, ready to break out the Laura Mulvey and, ready to take on its male Producer/Director/Writer, because I started to get really uncomfortable in spots due to the questions the film was asking - was she raped, was she lying, did she deserve it.

But the film questions everything. The way this film is constructed, with its questions concerning the nature of truth, is outstanding. Anatomy of a Murder is critical of everything everyone says, of everyone’s behavior, of the role of the lawyers, the judge, the jury, of the criminal justice proceedings. Of everything, including the rape victim.

In the end, you’ve questioned everything, but you’re no closer to the truth.

There’s also so much to like about the casting. I thought that every role was perfectly fit, and I especially loved the judge.

#140 - 6/20/2012

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The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962) John Ford Huge surprise how much I loved this. The frame story, and especially the ending, really did it for me. Give me some melancholy with my feel-good, and I’m happy. Utterly enjoyable, with both Jimmy Stewart and John Wayne (seemingly) playing their regular old characters, but with a bit of a twist. And I think it’s that twist that really makes the film. The supporting characters are all excellent too. Lee Marvin plays a swaggering asshole very convincingly, Vera Miles shows the spunk that perhaps made Hitch dislike her, and her parents provide some welcome humor. Woodey Strode as Pompey, also of note. I say “seemingly” above, because I know very little about Westerns. Although my weird Film Genres professor weirdly used all Westerns to illustrate genre and subversion of genre - the ones I can remember we watched are High Noon, Johnny Guitar (both of which I really liked), Paint Your Wagon (for musicals, hah!), Posse, Dirty Harry, etc. - I haven’t seen a lot of the classics, I haven’t seen many John Wayne movies, I don’t remember seeing the Spaghetti Westerns. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance has certainly renewed my interest in Westerns. #136 - 6/15/2012

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962) John Ford

Huge surprise how much I loved this. The frame story, and especially the ending, really did it for me. Give me some melancholy with my feel-good, and I’m happy.

Utterly enjoyable, with both Jimmy Stewart and John Wayne (seemingly) playing their regular old characters, but with a bit of a twist. And I think it’s that twist that really makes the film. The supporting characters are all excellent too. Lee Marvin plays a swaggering asshole very convincingly, Vera Miles shows the spunk that perhaps made Hitch dislike her, and her parents provide some welcome humor. Woodey Strode as Pompey, also of note.

I say “seemingly” above, because I know very little about Westerns. Although my weird Film Genres professor weirdly used all Westerns to illustrate genre and subversion of genre - the ones I can remember we watched are High Noon, Johnny Guitar (both of which I really liked), Paint Your Wagon (for musicals, hah!), Posse, Dirty Harry, etc. - I haven’t seen a lot of the classics, I haven’t seen many John Wayne movies, I don’t remember seeing the Spaghetti Westerns.

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance has certainly renewed my interest in Westerns.

#136 - 6/15/2012

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The Manchurian Candidate (1962) John Frankenheimer Sorry - If that was a masterpiece at one point, I didn’t see it. Having watched and read about this movie, I feel really dumb, because I feel like I don’t actually understand the terms “satire”, “masterpiece”, and “thriller”. If this movie was any of those three, I didn’t see it. I really could not get past the nonsensical plot mechanism and the inconsistencies that went with it. Although Angela Lansbury was outstanding, anything else I might have liked was completely overshadowed by the complete illogicality of the plot. #135 - 6/14/2012

The Manchurian Candidate (1962) John Frankenheimer

Sorry - If that was a masterpiece at one point, I didn’t see it.

Having watched and read about this movie, I feel really dumb, because I feel like I don’t actually understand the terms “satire”, “masterpiece”, and “thriller”. If this movie was any of those three, I didn’t see it. I really could not get past the nonsensical plot mechanism and the inconsistencies that went with it.

Although Angela Lansbury was outstanding, anything else I might have liked was completely overshadowed by the complete illogicality of the plot.

#135 - 6/14/2012

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Go West (1925) Buster Keaton I didn’t like Go West nearly as much as Seven Chances. There are some good gags with the cow he befriends, but most of the stunts involved herds of animals, and people being disproportionately scared of those herds of animals. Some nice things to look at, but not one of my favorites. #134 - 6/13/2012

Go West (1925) Buster Keaton

I didn’t like Go West nearly as much as Seven Chances. There are some good gags with the cow he befriends, but most of the stunts involved herds of animals, and people being disproportionately scared of those herds of animals. Some nice things to look at, but not one of my favorites.

#134 - 6/13/2012

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Seven Chances (1925) Buster Keaton

hoo boy that was some racist shit in there.

Even in a film from the 1920s, it’s hard to ignore those scenes with a man in blackface played for a laugh, or a joke based solely on the fact that Buster would ask any woman to marry him out of desperation, but not a black woman. At least no one in the theatre laughed during these moments.

The rest of the film was utterly delightful though. I saw this as part of a double feature with Go West, and I thought for sure that I would like the other better. But Seven Chances was just chock full of visual gags and wonderful stunts and really charming humor, and I loved it. Unfortunately tainted by the racism of the times, Seven Chances otherwise feels wonderfully fresh and inventive today. Definitely understandable if you can’t get past those scenes, but I still left happy, with a renewed (if also slightly reserved) love of Buster Keaton. 

#133 - 6/13/2012

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Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958) Richard Brooks Oh I did not like this one, I did not. I found pretty much all of the characters to be abhorrent, not just the ones who were supposed to be. Over the course of one day and into the night, a family drama comes to a head, complete with melodramatic thunderstorm for re-enforcement. Paul Newman and Burl Ives could not save me from feeling extremely annoyed and fidgety throughout. The only thing I liked about Elizabeth Taylor’s performance was her extremely sardonic air kisses, which I would like to adopt. I did feel like the film (teleplay) suffered from its censorship - I wasn’t familiar with the play, but could tell that something was missing, and reading up on it after the fact, it was confirmed. Also, I did not like Elizabeth Taylor or her character - I think this was the first movie I saw with her, and she just rubbed me the wrong way. Admittedly, I think part of it was the sound in the theatre - I think her fake Southern accent came off a lot more shrill and it was pretty grating. But I didn’t see the chemistry between her and Paul Newman, and there seemed to be too drastic of a turnaround at the end for it to be believable. But those air kisses…I can’t wait to break that shit out. hah #115 - 6/3/2012

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958) Richard Brooks

Oh I did not like this one, I did not. I found pretty much all of the characters to be abhorrent, not just the ones who were supposed to be. Over the course of one day and into the night, a family drama comes to a head, complete with melodramatic thunderstorm for re-enforcement. Paul Newman and Burl Ives could not save me from feeling extremely annoyed and fidgety throughout. The only thing I liked about Elizabeth Taylor’s performance was her extremely sardonic air kisses, which I would like to adopt.

I did feel like the film (teleplay) suffered from its censorship - I wasn’t familiar with the play, but could tell that something was missing, and reading up on it after the fact, it was confirmed. Also, I did not like Elizabeth Taylor or her character - I think this was the first movie I saw with her, and she just rubbed me the wrong way. Admittedly, I think part of it was the sound in the theatre - I think her fake Southern accent came off a lot more shrill and it was pretty grating. But I didn’t see the chemistry between her and Paul Newman, and there seemed to be too drastic of a turnaround at the end for it to be believable. But those air kisses…I can’t wait to break that shit out. hah

#115 - 6/3/2012

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The Lady From Shanghai (1947) Orson Welles What a weird movie - Orson Welles with a bad Irish “brogue”, some truly strange supporting characters, and a plot that doesn’t really come together. However, it’s entirely worth it for the end sequence in the fun house. It’s too bad that the film was subjected to so much studio interference (the fun house scene alone was supposed to be 20 minutes long!); I would hope that Welles’ intended film would have worked out some of the narrative issues. This is a film that you can really appreciate knowing how much effort some of those shots would have taken at the time. The location shooting, really marvelous stuff. #112 - 6/1/2012

The Lady From Shanghai (1947) Orson Welles

What a weird movie - Orson Welles with a bad Irish “brogue”, some truly strange supporting characters, and a plot that doesn’t really come together. However, it’s entirely worth it for the end sequence in the fun house. It’s too bad that the film was subjected to so much studio interference (the fun house scene alone was supposed to be 20 minutes long!); I would hope that Welles’ intended film would have worked out some of the narrative issues.

This is a film that you can really appreciate knowing how much effort some of those shots would have taken at the time. The location shooting, really marvelous stuff.

#112 - 6/1/2012

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Killer of Sheep (1979) Charles Burnett A fine example of the American neorealism that never was. Really really beautiful. Music was particularly effective. I think this type of film succeeds when you feel real empathy, and on this count, Killer of Sheep absolutely succeeds. The ever-present threat of danger, while the characters on screen are just existing, really gets to that empathy. #110 - 5/31/2012

Killer of Sheep (1979) Charles Burnett

A fine example of the American neorealism that never was. Really really beautiful. Music was particularly effective.

I think this type of film succeeds when you feel real empathy, and on this count, Killer of Sheep absolutely succeeds. The ever-present threat of danger, while the characters on screen are just existing, really gets to that empathy.

#110 - 5/31/2012

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