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Post by kijii on Feb 27, 2019 2:32:35 GMT
..Still continuing to concentrate on Douglas Sirk & Nicholas Ray movies.. Summer Storm (1944) / Douglas Sirk Seen on DVD
The IMDb has classified this movie, based on the 19th century Anton Chekhov's novel, The Shooting Party, as Crime, Drama, Film-Noir. Though it doesn't seem like a movie I would classify as a film-noir of the 40s, it has most the the elements including, a femme fatale (Linda Darnell), a twisted murder mystery, and the inner workings of a sick mind (George Sanders). The plot was interesting, though it plodded along from time to time. It does present a lower-class woman who works her way up from poverty to the upper classes of pre-Soviet Russia by using her allure as the "hook" to catch one big "fish" after another.
Full TCM Synopsis with SPOILERS: In Russia in 1918, Count Alexander Volsky goes to the office of the Kharkov Times to offer his old friend Anton Kalenin, the paper's editor, a manuscript. The count has been suffering financial hardship ever since the Soviets confiscated his estates and henceforth, hopes to sell the manuscript. Upon learning that Anton has died and his daughter Nadina has taken over the paper, Volsky hands the document to her and explains that it was written by Fedja Michailovitch Petroff, Nadina's former fiancé. After Volsky confides that Fedja is unaware that he has taken the manuscript, he admits that he is unable to read the document because his glasses were destroyed during the revolution. Taking pity on her old friend, Nadina gives Volsky twenty rubles. After Volsky departs, Nadina opens the document and begins reading Fedja's memoir of his life seven years earlier: In a summer resort near Kharkov, Fedja, the magistrate of the district, is engaged to Nadina. One day while visiting the count's estate, Fedja strolls into the garden with Volsky. When a summer storm strikes, they take refuge in the garden house and find Olga, the woodcutter's daughter, napping there. Startled, Olga awakens and soon after, Urbenin, the overseer of the count's estate, appears and sends her home to her father. In the squalor of her father's dwelling, Olga dreams of marrying royalty and living in luxury. Later, Urbenin visits the woodcutter's cottage and tries to woo Olga with the gift of a pair of boots. Nadina, meanwhile, is uncomfortable with Fedja's friendship with the count, who she criticizes as decadent, the embodiment of all that is wrong with Russia. While riding home from church one afternoon, Fedja meets Olga walking along the road. Enchanted by her beauty, he offers her a ride home, and when she mounts his horse, he kisses her. Soon after, Fedja visits the count and is shocked when Urbenin enters the parlor to announce his engagement to Olga. On a whim, the count offers to hold the wedding at his private chapel, and Fedja cynically suggests inviting the surrounding aristocracy to the event. Nadina attends the ceremony with Fedja, and under her plate, she finds a dance card on which Fedja has written "I love you." After the ceremony, Fedja finds himself alone with Olga, and realizing that he is madly in love with her, passionately kisses her. Nadina, witnessing their embrace, leaves the party and breaks her engagement to Fedja. As Nadina departs for Kharkov to work on her father's paper, Fedja continues his affair with Olga, who begins to accept the attentions of the count as well. While in the woods on a hunting expedition with Olga and the count, Fejda finds Olga lounging alone in the grass and confesses that he cannot live without her. In response, she declares that she is going to marry the count for his money and begins to taunt Fedja. As the count rings the dinner bell to call Olga to a picnic, Clara, a maid on the estate, finishes a swim in the lake and begins dressing in a shed. Peeking through a crack in the wall, she sees a man's hands dropping a dagger into the lake. While wandering through the woods, Urbenin finds Olga's nearly lifeless body and notifies Volsky, who rushes her to his house. Soon after, Fedja is summoned to the count's, where Olga lies dying, stabbed by her own dagger. When Olga dies before she can reveal the name of her assailant, Volsky accuses Urbenin of killing her out of jealousy. Later, Fedja is on the verge of resigning his judgeship when he learns that Clara has found the murder weapon and can identify Olga's killer. When Fejda questions Clara, she states that although she did not see the murderer's face, she can identify him by his hands. As she begins to describe the ring that he was wearing, she recognizes it as Fedja's and panics. Promising never to betray Fedja, Clara remains silent about the ring. When, at the trial, she incriminates Urbenin by testifying that the hands she saw were those of a peasant, Fejda rises to confess, but his courage fails him. Found guilty, Urbenin is sentenced to a lifetime of hard labor in Siberia. As Nadina closes the manuscript, she tucks it into an envelope and addresses it to the police. When Fedja learns that Volsky has given his work to Nadina, he rushes to the newspaper office. After confessing the torment of his guilty conscience, Fedja begs Nadina to start life anew with him. Refusing, she hands him the manuscript, offering him one last chance at redemption. He accepts it, crosses the street and drops it into a mailbox. A moment later, however, Fedja decides to retrieve his manuscript from the mailman. When the mailman refuses to surrender the envelope, a fight ensues and the police are called. Shot, Fejda dies in Nadina's arms. The only identification found on his body is Nadina's dance card from the wedding with the words "I love you" written on it.
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Post by Prime etc. on Feb 27, 2019 13:56:14 GMT
THOSE MAGNIFICENT MEN IN THEIR FLYING MACHINES 1965
Used to be a regular tv favorite-- holds up well. Innocuous comedy with great flying scenes.
Sir Percy Ware-Armitage: And I've arranged for the Frenchman to be detained by a lovely young lady.
Courtney: Ho, ho, guvnor, I'll bet she's a bit of all right.
Sir Percy Ware-Armitage: You should know, Courtney, she's your daughter.
Courtney: But guvnor, she's an innocent young girl!
Sir Percy Ware-Armitage: Not IS, Courtney, WAS!
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Post by mikef6 on Feb 27, 2019 17:22:11 GMT
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Post by mikef6 on Feb 27, 2019 17:31:23 GMT
The Night of the Iguana 1964, directed by John Huston, based on a play by Tennessee Williams, starring Richard Burton, Ava Gardner, Deborah Kerr, Sue Lyon, Skip Ward, Grayson Hall, Cyril Delevanti, Mary Boylan and others. American drama "A defrocked Episcopal clergyman (Burton) leads a bus-load of middle-aged Baptist women on a tour of the Mexican coast and comes to terms with the failure haunting his life". Great acting in beautiful black and white cinematography, at Puerto Vallarta (before it became a well-known tourist destination) in Mexico. There is much anger, frustrations, yelling and screaming before the movies conclusion. Is it really worth it, well to my surprice movie audiences thought so, because it did very well back then, and played in four times it's costs. Making movies from unfilmable sources was one of John Huston's specialities, it's thanks to his expertise that this movle works and has a flow and never stands still for too long even if some dialogs are long. Burton has the kind of voice that can make a telefon dictionary interesting. Garner is a surprice as a hotel owner, still beautiful but aging gracefully, and very lively in this role. Kerr is a woman who travels with her grandather, the oldest practioning poet in the world (Delevanti), fragile at first but has much more inner strength than anyone thought she was capable to have. Lyon once again plays a nymph, a very seducing lovethirsty nymph. Hall plays the "leader" of the Babtist women in a way too hysterical and manic way for my taste. Well worth the watch, if one is in the right mood and are used to Tennesse Williams type of dramas. This movie won an Oscar for it's Black and White Clothes Design by Dorothy Jeakins. It was also Oscar nominated for Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Grayson Hall), Best Cinematography, Black-and-White (Gabriel Figueroa) and Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Black-and-White. I like the play and its film very much. From the pre-credit sequence where the Rev. Burton chases his congregation out into the rain, to the bus trip and the swim with Sue Lyons (your second picture) which prompts Burton's comment to the hysterical Grayson Hall ("What did you think we were doing out there, Miss Fellows? Spawning?") to Ava Gardner's quiet but intense performance to Nonno's recitation of his poem and everything in between. I think it is a somewhat under seen film considering the star power on and behind the screen. A big recommendation from me.
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Post by teleadm on Feb 27, 2019 19:02:10 GMT
Philomena 2013, directed by Stephen Frears, based on a book by Martin Sixsmith, starring Judi Dench, Steve Coogan, Sophie Kennedy Clark, Mare Winningham, Barbara Jefford, Ruth MCabe and others British drama based on real events, "A world-weary political journalist (Coogan) picks up human interest story of a woman's (Dench) search for her son, who was taken away from her decades ago after she became pregnant and was forced to live in an Irish convent". The convent seems to be the villain of this piece, as they are very unwilling to give out any information, and probably sold children to rich Americans, but it was called donations. As the journalist has worked in America, he uses his connections over there, and they trace her son to Washington D.C. Turns out that her son had worked in the Reagan administration, but was also a closeted homosexual, and had died many years ago in AIDS. While she is searching for answers she is not out to condemn anyone, the journalist has a good story that eventually became a bestseller. This is a nice little movie that had both funny and sad moments, sometimes not in the most obvious scenes. A pleasant movie that worked well for a mid-week evening, at least for me. Pleasant too to see that this kind of movie without action scenes also can make a profit, it cost 12M USD to make, and grossed 100M USD worldwide. Nominated for four Oscars, Best Movie, Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role (Dench), Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score (Alexandre Desplat) and Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay (Steve Coogan and Jeff Pope). Judi Dench with the real Philomena.
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Post by BATouttaheck on Feb 27, 2019 21:04:42 GMT
teleadm I too saw Philomena quite recently and was pleasantly surprised. I went into it totally unaware of anything about it other than Judi Dench was in it and I will watch her in anything, any day of the week. Had no idea that it was based on a true story. Also recommend it !
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Post by BATouttaheck on Feb 28, 2019 4:47:01 GMT
"The first film adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's classic novel about a land where prehistoric creatures still roam." Oddly enough … the disbelief that was the hardest to suspend was the chimpanzee wandering around in the BRAZILIAN Jungle ! Well, him and the Ape-men with the big sharp teeth also found in Dino-ville. Cool Poster EXCEPT that it was a Brontosaurus who went to London and broke the Tower Bridge … not T-Rex !
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Post by kijii on Feb 28, 2019 7:03:21 GMT
..Still continuing to concentrate on Douglas Sirk & Nicholas Ray movies..
Interlude (1957) / Douglas Sirk Seen on Youtube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PTwd6SdA8s
This is a love story about a young American women, Helen Banning (June Allyson), who comes to Munich to work, travel and discover new people, places, and ideas. She works for America House made up of young American women like herself, (though what the work or mission of America House is is not exactly clear to me). The leader of America House is a Prue Stubbins (Jane Wyatt). While working there, she meets and falls in love with a famous symphony conductor, Tonio Fischer (Rossano Brazzi). Though their initial encounter is abrupt and brisk, Tonio tries to make up with her by taking her to Salzburg, Austria, the beautiful historic city in Bavaria and birthplace of Mozart. One thing leads to another and the two fall in love. However, this burgeoning love affair is ultimately blunted and blemished when Helen discovers that Tonio is married to a woman with a severe and chronic mental illness.
This is one of those Douglas Sirk/Ross Hunter movies that doesn't quite work as well as most. Yet, even so, it is a beautiful movie in many ways. In some ways, it is like melodrama with a built-in travelogue of Munich and the surrounding Bavarian countryside that brings back pleasant memories of my own visit there. The photography by William H. Daniels, is quite vivid and much in the style we have come to expect from Douglas Sirk/Ross Hunter movies. I also enjoyed the segments built around classical music (another passion of mine). I counted musical excerpts from about five major classical composers interspersed throughout the movie: Schumann, Chopin, Wagner, Mozart, and Brahms?
Full TCM Synopsis with SPOILERS: When naive American Helen Banning arrives in Munich, Germany, hoping to have an adventure and see the world, she meets Prue Stubbins, her excitable new boss at the American cultural agency called Amerika Haus. Soon afterward, Helen is courted by American doctor Morley Dwyer, a friend of her family's, and although she begins to date Morley, she warns him that she is not in Germany to find romance. As part of her first assignment, to help facilitate an orchestral concert sponsored by Amerika Haus, Helen accompanies Prue to the rehearsal, where they are asked to leave by the temperamental conductor, Tonio "Tony" Fischer. When Tony then receives a message and rushes out, Prue insists that Helen follow him to ensure that he will perform at the concert. Helen visits his home, the estate of Countess Irena Reinhart, where Tony is behind closed doors, playing the piano for his wife Reni. Tony comes to the door and brusquely informs Helen that the concert will go on as scheduled. After she leaves, a noted psychiatrist informs Tony that Reni cannot be cured, and urges him not to blame himself but to go on living without her. At the hugely successful concert that night, Prue instructs Helen to watch from the wings, where she tries to avoid Tony. He seeks her out, however, to apologize for his previous behavior, and after he offers to drive her home, she finds herself drawn to his sophistication and good looks. The next day, Helen attends a party at the Nymphenburg Palace, where Tony spots her and insists that she accompany him on a day trip to Salzburg, Austria. Impressed by her simplicity and optimism, Tony is delighted with Helen, and takes her on a whirlwind tour of the beautiful city. A few weeks later, Helen is dating both Morley and Tony, prompting her American friend, Gertrude Kirk to warn her to be careful of European men. Ignoring the advice, Helen cancels a date with Morley to attend Tony's concert, but once there, she hears that he is leaving for Stockholm soon, and later tearfully asks him why he wants to spend time with such an ordinary girl. His reply, that she is important to him and he is leaving for only two weeks, cheers her. Before he leaves town, he takes her on a picnic, but a summer storm forces them to take shelter in his nearby summer house. Although she nervously avoids his advances, when he pulls her into his arms, she responds passionately. Hours later, Tony starts to tell Helen that he is married, but stops himself, afraid that she will cut off their affair. When she insists on returning to his house with him, he acquiesces, and there she sees Reni for the first time. Reni dreamily recounts dancing with her husband, but suddenly grows suspicious of Helen and bolts out the door. Helen, furious, turns to leave, but Tony begs her to stay until Reni is calmed, and Irena explains to Helen that Reni has been mentally ill for years and is completely dependent on Tony. Weeks later, Morley visits a depressed Helen, who has not left her house since learning about Reni. He invites her to a dance, and on the walk home, proposes to her. She replies that she is not the virtuous girl he thinks she is, but Morley has guessed about her affair, and tells her that she is fine and decent and does not belong in Europe. Visiting him at the hospital the next day, she is impressed to see how respected and competent he appears, but as they leave together, she sees Tony in the hallway and he explains that Reni has had a breakdown. Helen is stirred by seeing him again and visits his rehearsal, where he tries to turn her away, but finally falls into her arms. Morley is waiting for her when she returns home, and reveals that he is leaving the next day, but that it is not too late for her to go with him. Helen is resolute that she must stay to help Tony, earning even more of Morley's admiration. That night, Helen is watching Tony's concert from the wings when she is pulled into the cloakroom by Reni, who has snuck out of the house. First enraged, then in tears, the ill woman begs Helen not to take Tony away from her. Helen escorts her home, where Irena urges Helen to forget about Reni, who is only a shell of who she used to be, and to give Tony the love he needs. Helen calls Morley, however, and then, finding Reni gone from her room, chases after her across the lawn towards the lake. Reni plunges into the water, hoping to die, but Helen rescues her. After Reni is sedated, Helen confesses to Tony that for a moment she fantasized about Reni's death, and that she cannot live that way. She insists that what he loves in her is only what he has lost in Reni, and finally he agrees that they cannot be together. Helen says a tearful goodbye and then escapes to Morley's waiting car, asking him to take her home to America.
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Post by BATouttaheck on Feb 28, 2019 15:11:40 GMT
The Iron Mask (1929)Fairbanks, Senior buckling his swash rather excessively in this silent film from 1929. The copy I watched has the story being narrated by Fairbanks, Junior rather than with title cards. That was a rather nice touch. Lots of running around and back and forth on horseback and mobs of men hitting at each other with swords. Fairbanks accomplished some pretty nifty tree and building climbings and swinging onto balconies. Watchable mostly for the nostalgia factor.
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Post by teleadm on Mar 1, 2019 8:18:44 GMT
Baisers volés aka Stolen Kisses 1968, directed by François Truffaut, starring Jean-Pierre Léaud, Claude Jade, Delphine Seyrig, Michael Lonsdale, Harry-Max, André Falcon, Daniel Ceccaldi, Claire Duhamel and others. French light drama. Our hero or anti-hero from The 400 Blows, Antoine Doinel (Léaud), returns as a young man. After being discharged from the army he's not sure what is going to become of him, with troubles with his girfriend (Jade) and being seduced by a mature woman (Seyrig), he tries different jobs, as a night porter at a hotel, working for a private detective agency as an operative, and as a TV repairman. There is no doubt that we are in Paris, since there are views of both the Eiffel Tower and Sacré-Cœur, maybe as a humorous wink to Hollywood movies that usually have wherever you live in Paris, there is a famous landmark visible when someone opens a window and looks out. It's called a screwball comedy, if so I must have other preferences of what a screwball comedy is. I would rather call it vignettes of a young man beginning to grow up, and that is not bad either, helped be a very light touch by director Truffaut, though there are both screwy situations and some very screwy persons along the way. It's a very charming movie made at beautiful Paris locations. Warning for the easily shocked: The first thing Doinel does after being discharged from the army is going to a bordello before he visits his girlfriend. This movie was Oscar nominated in the Best Foreign Language Film category. Doinel/Léaud would return in Bed and Board 1970 and in Love on the Run 1979.
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Post by Prime etc. on Mar 1, 2019 9:36:35 GMT
THE MAN WITH MY FACE 1951 Barry Nelson goes to work one morning and when his wife doesn't pick him up as usual he calls her-and she thinks he is a prankster. He goes home and she (and his business partner and his dog) treat him like a stranger, mainly because...he is already home! Faced with an imposter who says he is the fake, he is picked up by police and almost mauled to death by a doberman outside the headquarters. He runs, discovers he is now wanted for a bank robbery, and mistaken for a notorious criminal who looks just like him. The crooks (and their dog) are after him, while he turns to his former girlfriend and her brother (Jack Warden) for help.
DJANGO THE BASTARD 1969 -- A Clint Eastwood lookalike goes after the former officers who betrayed him and his fellow soldiers to the enemy. An eerie western considered the inspiration for HIGH PLAINS DRIFTER. Like many spaghetti westerns, they have enough variation in character behavior beyond the other movie elements to keep it from getting dull. In this case there's a prostitute hired to be the wife for a mentally defective brother of one of the officers-he becomes an interesting part of the action later in the story. Another unusual aspect is that the central character is a Confederate soldier and there is no political commentary about his loyalties-he was a devoted soldier "fighting for his country" betrayed by his commanders. Coming out in the height of the Vietnam war it must have been alluding to that.
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Post by teleadm on Mar 1, 2019 18:33:14 GMT
Phantom of the Opera 1943, directed by Arthur Lubin, based on a novel by Gaston Leroux, starring Claude Rains, Susanna Foster, Nelson Eddy, Edgar Barrier, Leo Carrillo, Jane Farrar, J. Edward Bromberg, Fritz Feld, Frank Puglia, Steven Geray, Hume Cronyn, Fritz Leiber (as Franz Liszt) and others. Horror chiller drama "A disfigured violinist haunts the Paris Opera House" What was classified as horror back then is rather tame today (An early Scooby-Doo episode is more scary than this). It's a very slick and professional production with very impressive sets, and in Technicolor. There is also a lot of opera-sounding singing too, that might distract. Most of the operas are actually fabricated fakes, since Universal didn't want to pay for the rights to any real operas except one, the others was public domain music "classic music" that they put lyrics to. It's not that scary anymore, but Claude Rains as a good little man is very touching, but his eventual transformation to obsessed murderer is never explained, though his disfigurement was accidental. The verbal love story between Nelson Eddy and Edgar Barrier towards Sussana Foster is a bit corny by modern eyes, but it was maybe though once to keep the balance between horror and opera. Fun to see small-part actor Fritz Feld in a slightly larger role as a conductor. Director Arthur Lubin is a strange choice to direct such a movie like this, though he had directed a Bela Lugosi movie, he was more at home directing Abbott and Costello movies, something he continued doing many times after this movie. It's a very entertaining old-fashioned movie, with a few chills, and nothing wrong with that. Does it have anything to do with Gaston Leroux's novel? I don't know! This movie won two Oscars, for Best Cinematography, Color and Best Art Direction-Interior Decoration, Color. it was also nominated for two other technical Oscars, Best Sound, Recording and Best Music, Scoring of a Musical Picture.
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Post by kijii on Mar 2, 2019 6:55:52 GMT
..Still continuing to concentrate on Douglas Sirk & Nicholas Ray movies..
Imitation of Life (1959) / Douglas Sirk Rented from Amazon Prime
While I have seen this movie a couple of times before, I viewed it again while covering Douglas Sirk movies. This is one of the few "remakes" that really stands up well against its original version, Imitation of Life (1934) / John M. Stahl. While there are some minor plot changes from the original version, based on Fannie Hurst's novel, the two stories are close enough to each other. I think both versions should be seen because they are both very good movies.
This is a melodrama, but, like Pinky (1949) / Elia Kazan, it brings out a real social problem of its time: how should a black woman behave if she can pass for white (or cross the color line) and live as a white woman during a time of deep racial segregation? Times have changed, but one can see how (or why) a black woman may want to hide from her blackness if she could and resent it when it is uncovered: [Sarah Jane enters carrying a serving tray on her head] Sarah Jane (Susan Kohner): [affected Southern Negro accent] Fetched y'all up a mess 'a crawdads, Miss Lora... fo' you an' yo' friends! Lora (Lana Turner): Well, that's quite a trick, Sarah Jane... where did you learn it? Sarah Jane : [affected Southern Negro accent] Oh, 'tain't no trick ta' totin', Miss Lora! I learned it from my mammy, an' she learned it from ol' massa, 'fo' she belonged to you...
This movie is typical of the beautiful color movies that comprise the Douglas Sirk / Ross Hunter collaboration. It received two Oscar nominations for Best Actress in a Supporting Role: one for the black mother, Annie Johnson (Juanita Moore), and another for superb acting of the black daughter, Sarah Jane Johnson at 18 (Susan Kohner). Thankfully, Sandra Dee's role as Lana Turner's daughter was kept to a minimum.
Since this was the last Sirk feature film, he when out at a high point. Full TCM Synopsis with SPOILERS: After frantically searching for her lost daughter Susie at Coney Island, an attractive widow named Lora Meredith finds her playing with Sarah Jane, a light-skinned black girl. Lora then meets Sarah Jane's single black mother, Annie Johnson, and a white photographer named Steve Archer, who takes some photographs of the girls. Lora discovers that Annie and Sarah Jane have no place to go, and although she is poor herself, having come to New York in search of an acting career, she invites the two to stay the night in her small apartment. In exchange for her small room, Annie offers to keep house and look after Susie while Lora seeks acting and modeling jobs. One evening, Steve comes by with the photographs, and the next day, he takes Lora to lunch, obviously smitten with her. Later, Lora invents a lie that gets her into the office of Allen Loomis, a well-known theatrical agent, but when he tries to make love to her, arguing that a successful actress must be willing to satisfy such requests, she angrily leaves. Back home, she sobs in frustration while Annie attempts to comfort and encourage her. One cold day, Annie brings Sarah Jane's galoshes to school, where she discovers that her daughter has been trying to conceal her race from her classmates. When Sarah Jane runs from Annie, her distressed mother turns to Lora and asks, "How do you explain to your child that she was born to be hurt?" Soon afterward, Steve, who has just been hired to promote a brand of beer, proposes to Lora, but she turns him down, saying that even though she loves him, marriage would prevent her from steadfastly pursuing a life in the theater. Just then, Loomis offers her a role in a new comedy by well-known writer David Edwards, but Steve forbids her to visit Loomis, prompting her to accuse him of settling for less in his own career. During her audition, Lora suggests that David rewrite portions of his play, and though angry at first, he soon realizes she is right. After Lora is cast and the play and its new leading actress are hugely successful, the papers report that "a new star is born" on Broadway. For the next ten years, Lora stars in one hit David Edwards play after another. The playwright wants to marry her, but as she admits one day to Annie, who still works for her, she does not really love him. Lora and David argue when she decides to appear in another writer's drama, but her performance is brilliant, and this play, too, becomes an instant hit. Surprised and overjoyed by a visit from Steve, Lora confesses she still loves him, and the two are reunited. Susie, who has suffered from her busy mother's lack of attention despite the material advantages Lora has provided her, looks forward to taking a trip with Steve and Lora, but the plans are canceled when Lora excitedly accepts a coveted role in an Italian film. Meanwhile, Sarah Jane tells Susie that she secretly has been seeing her white boyfriend, and that she would rather die than be considered black. When the young man learns that Sarah Jane's mother is black, however, he beats her. While Lora is filming in Italy, Steve looks after Susie, and the eager teenager soon falls in love with him. Sarah Jane, meanwhile, claims to have accepted a job in a New York library, but Annie finds her singing and dancing in a seedy New York nightclub. Her mother's appearance gets Sarah Jane fired, and she again runs from her, causing Annie to faint. Back home, Annie tells Lora, who has just returned from Europe, that she will no longer interfere in her daughter's life, adding that she does hope to help her wayward daughter somehow. Steve, now a company vice-president, learns that Sarah Jane is working as a chorus girl in Los Angeles, and Annie, convinced she is dying, flies to California for one last look at her daughter. Sarah Jane is furious, exclaiming, "I'm somebody else, I'm white." Annie then introduces herself to Sarah Jane's white friend as Sarah Jane's former nanny and leaves, but not before Sarah Jane tearfully embraces her. Meanwhile, Lora and Susie argue over Steve. When Susie accuses Lora of loving her career more than her, Lora offers to give Steve up, but Susie has decided to go away to college. The two mothers are now alone in the house. One day, Annie tells Lora to make certain all her possessions are left to Sarah Jane and then, after reassuring her old friend that she is "going to glory," dies. Lora breaks down, but sees to it that Annie has the elaborate funeral she had requested. As the long cortege moves slowly along the street, Sarah Jane pushes through the crowds, flings herself on her mother's coffin, and weeps hysterically. Lora and Susie gently lead her into the hearse, where they reassure her that she did not cause her mother's death. As Steve looks on, the three women join hands in a gesture of comfort and love.
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Post by BATouttaheck on Mar 3, 2019 4:26:55 GMT
Fun little film for a Saturday night when didn't feel like seeing The Black Cat on Svengoolie again ! No brainer rom-com but worth a watch. Some pretty funny situations and dialogue included.
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Post by kijii on Mar 3, 2019 4:55:16 GMT
..Still continuing to concentrate on Douglas Sirk & Nicholas Ray movies..
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Post by Prime etc. on Mar 3, 2019 9:10:20 GMT
HOW AWFUL ABOUT ALLAN 1970 tv movie with Anthony Perkins, Julie Harris and Joan Hackett who for some reason I find very attractive. I feel totally mesmerized by her yet she's no Eleanor Parker, Debra Paget (or her sister Lisa Gaye). Funny how attraction works isn't it? Anyway this was directed by Curtis Harrington and was very spooky even though I guessed the ending after 15 minutes.
FOUR FLIES ON GREY VELVET 1971 This was such a great giallo. What a clever twist (which I also guessed but not until late in the movie). There's a novel called THE WASP FACTORY which may have been inspired by this in fact. I think I need to watch Support Your Local Sheriff or Will Penny sometime.
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Post by telegonus on Mar 3, 2019 9:26:47 GMT
The 1941 The Black Cat, on MeTV's Svengoolie show, complete with comic asides from host Sven. I liked the movie for its cast and production values alone. It's no great shakes as a story; nor is it particularly well written.
Yet it has many of the virtues of classic era films, among them, a terrific cast including Basil Rathbone, Bela Lugosi, Broderick Crawford, Gale Sondergaard (those four would be enough for me!), with Hugh Herbert, Claire Dodd, John Eldredge and a young and at the time unknown Alan Ladd in the mix.
While the picture was only part comedy it was great all-round fun on a number of levels that scarcely need explaining for old-time movie buffs.
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Post by louise on Mar 3, 2019 16:11:38 GMT
Carry On Behind (1975). Never tire of it.
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Post by Lebowskidoo 🦞 on Mar 3, 2019 16:21:30 GMT
The Lion in Winter (1968) in which Hepburn and O'Toole spar together beautifully, and allows for very early glimpses of Anthony Hopkins and Timothy Dalton. Great stuff!
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Post by BATouttaheck on Mar 3, 2019 21:06:59 GMT
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