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Post by ZolotoyRetriever on Jan 7, 2019 22:51:32 GMT
Jean de Florette and Manon of the Spring (1986). Directed by Claude Berri, with Yves Montand, Gérard Depardieu, Daniel Auteuil, Emmanuelle Béart. DVR’d from recent MGM HD telecast.
Interesting 2-part tale, based on a novel by Marcel Pagnol, revolving around a city person - Jean Cadoret (Depardieu) - who inherits his mother’s farm in the countryside of Provence, France. His dream is to move to the farm with his wife and young daughter and take up farming - in his case, breeding rabbits. There is a valuable spring situated on the property which, unfortunately, is coveted by his wily water-deprived neighbors - Cesar and his bumpkin of a nephew Ugolin (Montand and Auteuil) - who conspire to block the spring, thus making Jean’s dream slowly turn into a nightmare.
Without water, the farm becomes worthless, thus allowing the conniving neighbors to buy it on the cheap. Jean’s young daughter, Manon, is wise to this criminal mischief, and the second part of the story, which takes place several years later, details the revenge Manon (Béart) exacts on the perpetrators. Justice is served, as well as a few old secrets are revealed.
Both are beautifully filmed on location in the countryside of Provence. Worth a look if you’ve never seen them.
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Post by ZolotoyRetriever on Jan 8, 2019 6:26:44 GMT
Jean de Florette and Manon of the Spring (1986). Directed by Claude Berri, with Yves Montand, Gérard Depardieu, Daniel Auteuil, Emmanuelle Béart. DVR’d from recent MGM HD telecast.
Love both of these, Zolo! So beautiful, each of them. For years I've wanted to see Pagnol's own 1952 version of his novel, "Manon of the Spring" (yes, he was a director, too), but I've never gotten around to it. But these two are simply wonderful. I imagine they would have made him proud. I, too, am hoping to find the 1952 version, directed by Pagnol. In fact, I've found it on YouTube (complete movie!) but alas, it's all in French w/o English subtitles, so that doesn't do me any good. Hopefully I can find a subtitled version somewhere for rent.
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Post by teleadm on Jan 8, 2019 18:37:52 GMT
Foreign Correspondent 1940, directed by Aldred Hitchcock, staring Joel McCrea, Laraine Day, Herbert Marshall, George Sanders, Albert Bassermann, Robert Benchley, Edmund Gwenn, Eduardo Ciannelli, Harry Davenport, Martin Kosleck, Ian Wolfe and others. Action thriller. On the eve of World War II, a young American reporter (McCrea) tries to expose enemy agents in London and Netherlands. I have offcourse seen this one before, and I think it's top notch entertainment. The first thirty minutes or so plays like a well-oiled comedy, before the assassination of the diplomat, Mr. Van Meer (Basserman). Van Meer holds a secret that is a pure McGuffin, that is important for enemy powers to know more about. After that the story becomes more complicated and still entertaining, with lot's of Hitchcockian ideas. Like the sea of umbrellas at the assassination, or the windmill that doesn't follow the wind. All actors does their bit's well, McCrea has the right kind of charm to carry the movie, Sanders plays a good guy, Day isn't the typical icy mystery woman instead a bit naive, Gwenn is a memorable professional murderer, and Benchley wisecracks. Top notch entertainment with a plot that shouldn't be dissected or be taken too seriously. This movie was nominated for six Oscars, Best Picture, Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Bassermann), Best Writing, Original Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Black-and-White, Best Art Direction, Black-and-White and Best Effects, Special Effects.
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Post by Primemovermithrax Pejorative on Jan 8, 2019 21:11:03 GMT
PLAY DIRTY 1969 -- I like desert war movies, even a dud like Raid on Rommel has some appeal (though not much).
I imagine that when this came out, the novelty of anti-hero characters involved in a hopeless/useless mission and meeting a surprising conclusion was rather unusual. In fact, I was reading about Bridge On The River Kwai and that Alec Guinness and others felt the story was anti-British--what would he think of this? All the characters are unlikable by design, especially the top military brass. Ultimately it is a demoralizing experience but that is likely the point. How valuable is the point is another question.
On a technical front, I noticed that the attack on the convoy was rather hi tech--a couple of trucks getting blown up appear to have puppets rigged to move around just as the explosion engulfs them.
The desert is depicted in desolate and haunting fashion--the empty oil depot with the scarecrow German soldiers took on a spooky quality. Perhaps that ties into the message at the end--the soldiers are ultimately scarecrows or ghosts.
Reading on the making of the film, SHALAKO was being filmed at the same time--too bad we couldn't get a background Connery cameo or vice versa with Michael Caine in that film. Nigel Davenport replaced Richard Harris and Nigel Green took over from Davenport. I think Davenport fits the role better than Harris would have. The film uses a few WW 2 songs and I had wondered what version of Lili Marleen was used--but then I realized--they had to record their own versions for it since the sound quality of old recordings would have been a detriment.
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Post by kijii on Jan 9, 2019 4:09:41 GMT
A Time to Love and a Time to Die (1958) / Douglas Sirk Viewed from DVD (only available in Region 2)
Most of us are familiar with Erich Maria Remarque through his novel, All Quiet on the Western Front, which was made into Lewis Milestone's the movie, All Quiet on the Western Front (1930). That movie tells us the story of the common German soldier, coaxed into fighting for glory for the fatherland in WWI and how the war changed his views of glory and heroism.
I was interested to find that Erich Maria Remarque had also written this novel about WWII, again told from the view of the German soldier, thrown into a war at the time when it was clear that Germany was going to lose the war. The movie, A Time to Love and a Time to Die (1958), looks like many other melodramatic Douglas Sirk movies. Its cinematography is soft, yet its message is brutal. It is a sweeping romance and relates a lot about war, love, and God. It also reflects many of the dilemmas that a young WWII German solider was forced to face at the end of the war.
Acting "newcomer," John Gavin plays the protagonist as the young German soldier, Ernst Graeber. The movie opens with the Germans in full retreat from Russian in the winter of 1944, retracing old territory that they had once won and were now losing; finding perfectly preserved frozen bodies in the snow; and discovering that they were old German comrades from pervious battles. When small groups of Russian guerrillas are discovered, they are executed by reluctant German firing squads who "volunteer" to do the job. When Graeber is finally given a long overdue, two-week furlough to return home, he takes it only to find that the Allies had bombed home city (Berlin?) to a bare skeleton of its former self.
Graeber's old neighborhood is destroyed and the population is scattered. There is a bulletin board in town center where people could leave messages to loved ones regarding where they were. As Graeber searches the city, he finds an old classmate of his living in luxury as a member of the Gestapo. He also finds a young girl, Elizabeth Kruse (Liselotte Pulver), whom he falls in love with an eventually marries. (One sad element to the movie was whenever the couple dreamed of visiting great places--Paris, Amsterdam, etc.--they knew that as Germans, they would not be liked simply because they were Germans.) When he finds his old teacher (in hiding from the Gestapo, Professor Pohlmann, played by Erich Maria Remarque), he discovers that the choices he now has to make are very difficult: should he desert his old army unit (and not return to a losing cause) to fight for something he despises or should he reluctantly return to duty to prove the futility of the cause? Professor Pohlmann (Erich Maria Remarque): Without doubt, there would be no need for faith. Great movie!!
Full synopsis from TCM with SPOILERS: On the Russian-German front in 1944, the German troops are in retreat, ragged and nearly frozen, with only the dead bodies that appear through the melting snow to signify that winter is almost over. After soldiers Ernst Graeber, bloodthirsty Steinbrenner and young Hirschland are ordered to execute Russian civilians accused of being guerrillas, Hirschland grows despondent and commits suicide. Moments later, Ernst learns that he has been awarded his first furlough in two years and heads home, only to discover that his beloved village has been destroyed by bombs and that his parents are among the missing. Desperate to find them, he visits his mother's physician, Dr. Kruse, but finds only the doctor's daughter Elizabeth, who informs him that her father has been captured by the Gestapo. When an air raid siren rings out, Elizabeth at first refuses to go to the shelter, explaining that this is one small way she retains her personal freedom, but Ernst convinces her to join him. In the shelter, Ernst learns that many of his neighbors have died and that those that remain are crippled by grief. Later, Ernst offers Elizabeth his Army rations, but she assumes he wants to buy her companionship, and spurns him. He spends the rest of the day searching for his parents, to no avail, but meets Herman Boettcher, who is looking for his beloved two-hundred-pound wife. Boettcher invites Ernst to stay with him in the infirmary, where Reuter, a soldier suffering from gout, advises Ernst to live as if his three-week leave were the last weeks of his life. The next day, Ernst runs into old school friend Oscar Binding, now an important Nazi official with a luxurious home. After treating Ernst to fine food and wine and promising to help look for his parents, Binding brags that he imprisoned Pohlmann, a professor of theirs who gave him failing grades. Later, Ernst finds a note from Elizabeth on the community message board among the ruins, and goes to meet her. She apologizes for mistrusting him, and they manage to enjoy the day together, especially when they find a tree in bloom. By nighttime, they kiss, and later when Ernst asks Reuter where he should take Elizabeth, the officer finds him a clean uniform and reveals the secret password to gain entrance to the illicit nightclub in town. The club is gloriously decadent, and Elizabeth glows from happiness and champagne, until another air raid siren sounds. They rush to the shelter, which is quickly hit by bombs, forcing the well-dressed crowds to flee into the streets. At Elizabeth's apartment, they see concentration camp inmates working in the street, but Dr. Kruse is not among them. Ernst proposes, but when he mentions his Army pay and death benefits, Elizabeth becomes upset. They fight briefly, then fall into each other's arms. The next day, as Reuter helps Ernst prepare for his wedding, Boettcher announces bitterly that although he has found his wife, she has lost one hundred pounds and no longer seems herself. At the registrar's office, Ernst grows concerned that Elizabeth will be in danger if she identifies herself as Dr. Kruse's daughter, and arranges to signal her if there is a problem. When the official agrees to the marriage, in his joy Ernst mistakenly signals to Elizabeth, who flees the building. Soon, however, the confusion is cleared up, and they are married. As they enjoy the wedding feast Binding has sent, Elizabeth mourns that, as a German, she will no longer be welcome in most of Europe. The next day, Ernst receives a package that his mother mailed to the front, and realizes that since she sent it after the evacuation, she is probably still alive. Soon after, however, he intercepts a note from the Gestapo demanding that Elizabeth meet with them. Afraid for her life, he searches for Prof. Pohlmann, who is rumored to be in hiding in the bombed-out museum. There, another bombing interrupts their conversation, and although Ernst fears that Elizabeth has been killed, they finally find each other in the street. They sleep in the museum, where Pohlmann introduces Ernst to Joseph, a Jew in hiding who agrees to help Elizabeth escape, if necessary. Shocked by Pohlmann's continued belief in God and Joseph's conscious decision not to despise all Germans, Ernst questions his own responsibility for the horrors of the war. The next day, he visits Binding to ask for help with the Gestapo, but there finds Heini, a concentration camp officer who brags drunkenly about his sadistic tortures. Disgusted, Ernst leaves without asking for help, and goes to the Gestapo in Elizabeth's place. He discovers she has been called to collect the ashes of her murdered father, and that night, in the lovely, intact home Elizabeth has found for them, Ernst comforts her. After a bittersweet night, he returns to the front, where he finds the tattered remains of his company. Ernst is ordered to guard Russian civilians, but when the company has to move on, Steinbrenner prepares to kill them. Tired of the senseless bloodshed, Ernst shoots Steinbrenner and frees the prisoners. One of them, however, picks up Steinbrenner's gun and shoots Ernst, who dies just as he is reading a letter from Elizabeth, in which she reveals that she is having their child.
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Post by louise on Jan 9, 2019 16:11:31 GMT
MR Turner. IT ws quite good but a bit ponderous and I thought could have been a bit shorter.
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Post by teleadm on Jan 9, 2019 18:24:36 GMT
Never Say Never Again 1983, directed by Irvin Kershner , based on an original story by Ian Fleming, staring Sean Connery, Kim Basinger, Klaus Maria Brandauer, Max von Sydow, Barbara Carrera, Bernie Casey, Alec McCowen, Edward Fox, Rowan Atkinson, Anthony Sharp and others. Espionage adventure. A SPECTRE agent has stolen two American nuclear warheads, and James Bond must find their targets before they are detonated. The story in itself is a variation of "Thunderball", but a bit updated, though all up-to-date computer equipment is by today's standard very ancient, but that is how it should be. It never has the feeling of the old Bonds', maybe because of copyright reasons, but it's still entertaining seeing an older but still vital Sean Connery reprising his old famous role. It is the charisma and prescence of Connery that carries this movie a long way. Brandauer as the main villain gives an interesting interpretation of the fanatic main villain, but it somehow works. Carrera as assassin Fatima Blush is far over the top. Basinger's role seems underwritten as she makes a very bleak heroine. While the story moves forward in a nice pace, with a few distractions, the ending and death of the main villain is nearly an anticlimax, as it just sort of happens. Not a bullseye, but still entertaining enough.
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Post by Lebowskidoo 🦞 on Jan 9, 2019 18:48:13 GMT
teleadm, Never Say Never Again is worth watching just to witness 007 teaming up with Johnny English!
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Post by kijii on Jan 10, 2019 2:24:35 GMT
Jean de Florette and Manon of the Spring (1986). Directed by Claude Berri, with Yves Montand, Gérard Depardieu, Daniel Auteuil, Emmanuelle Béart. DVR’d from recent MGM HD telecast.
Interesting 2-part tale, based on a novel by Marcel Pagnol, revolving around a city person - Jean Cadoret (Depardieu) - who inherits his mother’s farm in the countryside of Provence, France. His dream is to move to the farm with his wife and young daughter and take up farming - in his case, breeding rabbits. There is a valuable spring situated on the property which, unfortunately, is coveted by his wily water-deprived neighbors - Cesar and his bumpkin of a nephew Ugolin (Montand and Auteuil) - who conspire to block the spring, thus making Jean’s dream slowly turn into a nightmare.
Without water, the farm becomes worthless, thus allowing the conniving neighbors to buy it on the cheap. Jean’s young daughter, Manon, is wise to this criminal mischief, and the second part of the story, which takes place several years later, details the revenge Manon (Béart) exacts on the perpetrators. Justice is served, as well as a few old secrets are revealed.
Both are beautifully filmed on location in the countryside of Provence. Worth a look if you’ve never seen them.
ZolotoyRetriever-- This duo of movies looks very interesting to me. My only problem would be the subtitles since I tend to be a slow reader. I notice that the first one can be rented from Amazon prime whereas the second one is only on DVD. But, you they do look interesting. Now, I am wondering if I get a MGM channel on my TV. I will have to check that out too. Do you know the Direct TV channel number for MGM?
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Post by kijii on Jan 10, 2019 6:42:20 GMT
Run for Cover (1955) / Nicholas Ray Rented from Amazon Prime
As I started to watch this Nicholas Ray Western I wasn't expecting much, but it builds into an interesting watch. James Cagney (as Matt Dow) is really the engine that keeps this movie moving. The story is about a drifter, Dow, who is seeking to make a new life in a peaceful town. Dow meets a young man, Davey Bishop (John Derek) by accident, and sort of "adopts him," just as the town had made him their ward since his parents had died years ago. When the two men are suspected of robbing a train, the fact they they were not the robbers is soon explained away and the town is truly sorry for their mistake, a mistake that ruins Davey's leg. While Davey is recuperating from his leg injury, the two men stay with the Mr. Swenson (Jean Hersholt) and his daughter, Helga (Viveca Lindfors). Matt Dow works on the farm and falls in love with Helga. Mr. Swenson: There's work to do. Farms do not run themselves. Helga Swenson: In a minute father. Mr. Swenson: In the old country children do not say, "In a minute," when the father speaks. Helga Swenson: That's why I like America.
When the town sees more of Matt, they offer him a job as sheriff; Dow agrees and makes Davey his deputy. As Davey fails in assignment after assignment, Dow refuses to give up on him... Matt Dow to Davey : Why don't you stop feeling sorry for yourself? You think you're the only one in the world ever got a raw deal... There's a lot of people in this world who've had a tougher time than you or me. It comes with the ticket. Nobody guarantees you a free ride. The only difference is, most people don't run for cover. They keep right on going, picking up the pieces the best way they can. But you never hear of them. It's the ones who can't take it, like you - the ones looking for a free ride - who cause all the trouble, everywhere.
This Western has lots of twists and turns, but the main emphasis is on Matt's unrelenting support of Davey, a substitute for the boy he once lost, and his belief in the goodness of people in spite of the fact that people haven't always believed in him.
Plot from Wikipedia with SPOILERS: Matt Dow meets young cowboy Davey Bishop for the first time. As they take turns shooting at a hawk, a train that has recently been robbed goes by. Mistaking it for an attack by train robbers, a bag of money is tossed from the train toward the two men.
Dow and Davey take the money to town, where they are presumed to have robbed the train. Davey is shot, wounded and taken to the Swenson farm to recover. Matt explains what happened and is made welcome by Helga Swenson and her father.
The townspeople regret the shooting of Davey, whose limp will be permanent. Matt accepts a job as sheriff, trying to redeem himself for a shady past. He also begins to court Helga.
Outlaws led by a man named Morgan rob the town's bank and Helga's father is killed as they escape. Morgan had recognized Matt, which makes the townsfolk worry that Matt might be in on the robbery.
A posse is formed, after a hard ride, most of the thieves are found dead with Comanche arrows in them. Matt sets out to capture one of the robbers, and Davey, despite being a deputy, fails to stop another thief from being lynched. Eventually Matt and Davey are the only members of the posse left.
Davey double-crosses Matt, confessing that he was in on the robbery all along. Davey and Matt are trapped by Comanches and hide the money. A wounded Matt tries to make it across a river, but Davey leaves him to drown. However he clings to a log and follows Davey to some ruins, where he finds him with Morgan.
Davey and Morgan discuss how to get the money back. Matt confronts them and shoots Morgan in self-defense. He tells Davey that he will take him back to town to be hanged, where he will serve as an example to others; the only thing he is good for.
Morgan regains consciousness and reaches for his gun. Davey spots him, and shoots, but Matt thinks that Davey is drawing on him, and shoots Davey. He realises that, in the end, Davey was not beyond redemption.
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Post by OldAussie on Jan 10, 2019 7:24:22 GMT
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Post by miike80 on Jan 10, 2019 8:24:55 GMT
The Goonies. Have not seen the movie since the VHS days.. I love it and had so much fun
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Post by teleadm on Jan 10, 2019 18:43:03 GMT
Johnny Reno 1966, directed by R.G. Springsteen, staring Dana Andrews, Jane Russell, Lon Chaney Jr., John Agar, Lyle Bettger, Tom Drake, Richard Arlen, Robert Lowery, Tracy Olsen, Regis Parton and others. Western. U.S. Marshal Johnny Reno (Andrews) is riding to the small town of Stone Junction on a private matter, minding his own business, when someone suddenly starts shooting at him. He takes a prisoner (Drake) to the small town, but there he is met with hostility. The small town is run by a corrupt mayor (Bettger) and has a past incident that they are trying hide. Reno's private matter was to look up a girl he once knew, who now runs the small town's bar (Russell). This is a B-Western, with a storyline that is actually not too bad, but has some awful/ridiculous dialog written for the actors to say, especially when they play it tough. The main attraction is not so much the story, but seeing the aging stars and familiar faces. The direction is unimaginative, standard and at some points sloppy. In an obligatory fistfight in a bar, it's quiet obvious that it's stuntmen since one can see their faces at some points. I think this was Dana Andrews last staring role in an American film. Jane Russell looks a bit older than usual, but that is O.K. since she plays a character that is a bit older than she used to be. Lon Chaney Jr was nice to see in something different, here playing a Sheriff with the heart in the right place, but he's also a coward. Former boy-next-door Tom Drake plays the prisoner, who might be innocent and falsly framed, and manages to play sympathic very well. Lyle Bettger get's to spit out the main part of awfully written dialog, gives a very one-dimensional peformance. Worth a look, if only to see the aging stars and familiar faces.
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Post by vegalyra on Jan 10, 2019 20:14:55 GMT
Breathless (1960) Enjoyable film, the jump cuts were disorienting but the cinematography was great. I don't think I've seen too many films where one of the main characters (Michel Poiccard) smoked so much. No wonder he was "out of breath"
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Post by Feologild Oakes on Jan 10, 2019 22:34:46 GMT
Room (2015)
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Post by kijii on Jan 11, 2019 2:31:29 GMT
Vice (2018) / Adam McKay Just seen at the local movie theater
If you love comedy and/or satire about recent events, you may love this movie--or you may not. I did. Written and directed by Adam McKay, this movie is made in the same vain as The Big Short (2015), and it even has a couple of the same actors: Christian Bale plays Dick Cheney and Steve Carell plays Donald Rumsfeld. If this movie doesn't make you laugh nervously, it make you cry, or even finally make you mad when viewed with a perspective of a little distance in time. (One can only try to imagine what Adam McKay's movie about Trump might look like once the long nightmare ends in some way, not yet imaginable.) This movie takes real events and puts them into a certain perspective. Yes, these events all happened, but we may never know what the mindset was that really set them into motion. The movie takes us into the mindset of Cheney's deus ex machina character with more than a little exaggeration, but hey why not?
[from trailer] George W. Bush : Whaddaya say?... I want you to be my VP. I want you, you're ma vice. Dick Cheney : Well, George, I, uh... I'm a CEO... of a large company. And I have been Secretary of Defense... and I have been White House Chief of Staff. The Vice Presidency is a mostly symbolic job. George W. Bush : Uh-huh. Dick Cheney : However, if we came to a, uh... different... understanding... I can handle the more mundane... jobs. Overseeing bureaucracy... military... energy... and, uh... foreign policy. [pause] George W. Bush : Yeah, right! I like that!
Another example has a scene with Lynn Cheney (Amy Adams) and Dick Cheney talking to each other in bed as if they were in a Shakespearean tragedy, something like Lady Macbeth might be talking to her husband before carrying out some deed that must be done.)
Every scandal, every mistake, and every public misunderstanding of the era is masterfully unveiled, using both actual footage and masterful character makeup: The Cheneys look like Dick and Lynn, Donald Rumsfeld looks like the actual Donald Rumsfeld, etc.
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Post by ant-mac on Jan 11, 2019 15:28:40 GMT
THE GREAT DICTATOR (1940) 5/5.
An excellent film that quite possibly contains the finest 4 minutes in all of cinematic history near its end.
That final speech was relevant in 1940 and is relevant now in 2019. And I doubt there's been a moment anywhere in between when it wasn't.
"I'm sorry, but I don't want to be an emperor. That's not my business. I don't want to rule or conquer anyone. I should like to help everyone, if possible, Jew, gentile, black man, white. We all want to help one another. Human beings are like that. We want to live by each other's happiness — not by each other's misery. We don't want to hate and despise one another. "In this world there is room for everyone. And the good earth is rich and can provide for everyone. The way of life can be free and beautiful, but we have lost the way. Greed has poisoned men's souls, has barricaded the world with hate, has goose-stepped us into misery and bloodshed. We have developed speed, but we have shut ourselves in. Machinery that gives abundance has left us in want. Our knowledge has made us cynical. Our cleverness, hard and unkind. We think too much and feel too little. More than machinery we need humanity. More than cleverness we need kindness and gentleness. Without these qualities, life will be violent and all will be lost.
"The aeroplane and the radio have brought us closer together. The very nature of these inventions cries out for the goodness in men, cries out for universal brotherhood, for the unity of us all. Even now my voice is reaching millions throughout the world — millions of despairing men, women and little children — victims of a system that makes men torture and imprison innocent people. To those who can hear me, I say — do not despair. The misery that is now upon us is but the passing of greed — the bitterness of men who fear the way of human progress. The hate of men will pass, and dictators die, and the power they took from the people will return to the people and so long as men die, liberty will never perish.
"Soldiers! Don't give yourselves to brutes — men who despise you — enslave you — who regiment your lives — tell you what to do — what to think or what to feel! Who drill you, diet you, treat you like cattle, use you as cannon fodder. Don't give yourselves to these unnatural men — machine men with machine minds and machine hearts! You are not machines! You are not cattle! You are men! You have the love of humanity in your hearts. You don't hate! Only the unloved hate — the unloved and the unnatural! "Soldiers! Don't fight for slavery! Fight for liberty! In the 17th Chapter of St. Luke it is written: "the Kingdom of God is within man" — not one man nor a group of men, but in all men! In you! You, the people have the power — the power to create machines. The power to create happiness! You, the people, have the power to make this life free and beautiful, to make this life a wonderful adventure.
"Then, in the name of democracy, let us use that power! Let us all unite! Let us fight for a new world, a decent world that will give men a chance to work, that will give youth the future and old age a security. By the promise of these things, brutes have risen to power, but they lie! They do not fulfill their promise; they never will. Dictators free themselves, but they enslave the people! Now, let us fight to fulfill that promise! Let us fight to free the world, to do away with national barriers, to do away with greed, with hate and intolerance. Let us fight for a world of reason, a world where science and progress will lead to all men's happiness.
"Soldiers! In the name of democracy, let us all unite!"
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Post by louise on Jan 11, 2019 16:44:12 GMT
Colette (2018). Wonderful film, absolutely beautiful, marvellous acting from everyone, a joy to watch. Only one tiny flaw in an otherwise perfect film - Colette's hair not nearly long enough. In real life it was down to her ankles. Wonder if they were running out of money in the wig department.
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Post by Nalkarj on Jan 12, 2019 4:59:49 GMT
Did we have a “what are you watching right now” thread? I vaguely remember one but couldn’t find it. Anyway, as we speak I’m watching an intriguing little thriller/whodunit, 23 Paces to Baker Street (’56), with Van Johnson as a blind playwright who overhears a murder plot. I’d wanted to see it for a long time, and now it’s on “Free on Demand” on something called “FXM Retro.” Not too bad, but also not as good as I’d expected (so far): fairly standard imitation-Hitchcock, with obvious plot similarities to Rear Window but with setting and cinematography a dead ringer for Hitchcock’s (same year) remake of The Man who Knew Too Much. Van Johnson is good, though, and Vera Miles, as his girlfriend, is giving a fantastic performance, better than the part or picture probably deserve. Also, I’m time-stamping my prediction: I’m 50 min. into this thing, and my money is on the old lady—Lady Surrat or something—as the villainess behind the plot. Probably wrong, but that’s how I would have written it.
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Post by kijii on Jan 12, 2019 6:33:25 GMT
All I Desire (1953) / Douglas Sirk Seen from DVD
Based on Carol Ryrie Brink's novel, this is a good black-and-white melodrama about a women, Naomi Murdoch (Barbara Stanwyck), who returns to her family (husband and three children) 10 years after she had deserted them in the mist of a potential scandal with another man, Dutch Heinemann (Lyle Bettger). She had been working as a world famous stage actress all of those years, but the family maid, Lena Maria Swenson (Lotte Stein), had been writing her to keep her up to date with her family.
After all those years, she receives a letter from her younger daughter, Lily (Lori Nelson), asking her to come home to see her perform in her high school play. Naomi ponders if she will be welcome but decides to return to that small Wisconsin town and see her family once again. Members of her family are surprised or startled to see her and "greet" her with various reactions. Her oldest daughter, Joyce (Marcia Henderson), seems the most hostile towards her; Lily is ecstatic to have her famous mother back in town to see the play; her son, Ted (Billy Gray), can hardly remember her. Finally, her husband, Henry (Richard Carlson) is skeptical of her but welcomes her reluctantly into their home for a brief return. [Will she get a second chance to make a first impression?] It is clear that IF Naomi wants to come home again, she will have to win each of them back:
Henry Murdoch: That was Sara on the telephone. Naomi Murdoch: Sara? Henry Murdoch: Sara Harper. She's the drama teacher. They're putting additional chairs in the auditorium. It seems there's sudden demand for seats. Naomi Murdoch: Well, at least Lily will have a good house. Henry Murdoch: And you'll be the center of attention. Naomi Murdoch: [First resentful and then angry] Oh, I'll make a good impression, Henry. That's all you care about, isn't it? Appearances and what other people will think? Well, I'm not the girl from across the tracks who used to embarrass you! Not anymore! I won't laugh too loud or make jokes or speak to the riffraff. I knew before I married you. Henry Murdoch : That's very good of you.
Naomi Murdoch [to Joyce]: We're a big disappointment to each other, aren't we? You've got a mother with no principles; I've got a daughter with no guts.
Full synopsis from TCM with SPOILERS: In 1910, just as her career hits its lowest point, aging actress Naomi Murdoch receives a letter from her daughter Lily. Ten years earlier, Naomi had created a scandal by leaving her teacher husband Henry and their children, Joyce, Lily and Ted, because she felt stifled by their small-town community and Henry's strict social mores. Even though it means continuing to lie to the family that she is a famous Shakespearian actress, Naomi decides to return to Riverside, Wyoming, and uses her entire savings to undergo a makeover. At the same time that Naomi's train pulls up at the town station, Joyce's fiancé, Russ Underwood, is scandalizing her with a public kiss on the cheek, Lily is wishing out loud that her mother will arrive in time to see her star in the school play and Henry is being named the new superintendent of schools. Naomi shows up during supper that evening, shocking everyone into silence, until Lily and housekeeper Lena Engstrom embrace her happily. Henry and Joyce, however, remain apprehensive about Naomi's visit, especially when they realize that gossip about her return has spread throughout the town. Naomi is surprised to find herself thrilled at how little the house has changed in her years away, but is stung when Joyce informs her that she does not consider Naomi family and wants her to leave. Soon after, Henry quarrels with Naomi over the circumstances of her leaving, and she promises him haughtily that she will not embarrass him with her crassness as she did before. Together, they attend the school play, which is packed with neighbors eager to get a glance at Naomi. As soon as the curtain rises, however, she can think only of Lily, who has true star quality. Although Dutch Heinemann, the man whose seduction ten years earlier contributed to her need to flee Riverside, watches her, she ignores him. Later that night, at Lily's party, Joyce grows jealous as the radiant Naomi dances with Russ, but is urged by Lena to enjoy life as much as her mother. When Naomi gives in to the guests' request to recite poetry, teacher Sara Harper, who loves Henry, realizes with a glance that he is still enamored of his ex-wife. Lily tinkers with the clock so that by the time Naomi finishes reading, she has missed the last train and must stay the night. After the guests leave, Henry grabs Naomi and demands to know why she left him, but she runs upstairs. The next morning, Russ urges Naomi and Joyce to accompany him horseback riding, and when Joyce reproaches her mother for flirting with him, Naomi goads her into fighting back for his love. Joyce does so when they stop at the river where Naomi used to have liaisons with Dutch, insisting her mother stay behind. Dutch immediately appears and roughly attempts to seduce Naomi, who pushes him away and declares that he will not upset her life again. At home, Sara is waiting to ask Naomi to perform at the graduation ceremony that night, revealing that she still wants to make Henry happy by helping Naomi to become a more respectable community member. As soon as Sara leaves, Joyce confirms that Henry still loves Naomi, and asks her mother to leave immediately to save his reputation. That night, Naomi tells Henry she must go, but he asks her to stay. When Lily then announces that she is leaving for New York with Naomi to begin a career on the stage, Henry states wryly that he cannot keep people at home against their wishes. Later, however, he asks Naomi if it is too late, and by the next morning, they announce to the children that Naomi is staying. Lily and Joyce are both bitterly disappointed, for their own reasons, and Naomi is also disturbed when she hears Dutch's familiar gunshot signal to her. She rushes to him to inform him that there is no chance between them, and is followed by Ted, who wants to go fishing with her. At the river, Dutch will not take no for an answer even after Naomi whips him, and as they tussle, the gun goes off and shoots him in the chest. Ted arrives in time to see Dutch fall, and although he helps her race Dutch to the doctor, he believes, as does the rest of the town, that she has resumed her affair. Even the doctor advises Naomi that Dutch will survive but her reputation will not, and she prepares to leave town to spare Henry more scandal. When Lily still asks to join her, Naomi discourages her by sharply stating that she is a tawdry failure, and both Lily and Joyce leave the house in tears. Naomi stops in Ted's room to try to explain that even if it appears that she has done something wrong, she has always loved him, and the boy breaks down and embraces her. Meanwhile, Henry has learned about the shooting and been warned that his career depends on his forcing Naomi to leave. He stalks into the doctor's office to confront Dutch, who spits in reply that if Naomi loves Henry, she can have him. Seeing the whip mark on Dutch's cheek, Henry suddenly realizes that Naomi has spurned Dutch, and rushes back to the house in time to prevent her from leaving. With his arms around her, he begs her to stay, asserting that with faith and trust they can face the town together. He hands her the key to the house, and together they enter to wait for the children.
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