What Classics did you see Last Week (June 30/July 1-6)?

First viewings:

Homesman / Tommy Lee Jones (2014). A frontier farm woman (Hilary Swank) saves the life of a claim jumper (Tommy Lee Jones) and persuades him to help her escort three insane women to a safe haven in Iowa. Great cinematography, an outstanding though in many ways disturbing script, and beautiful direction by Jones, who also gives a superb performance, as does Swank. The rest of the excellent cast includes John Lithgow, Hailee Steinfield, Grace Gummer, Jesse Plemons, Tim Blake Nelson, and, in a small role toward the end, Meryl Streep. It was so much better than I expected; I found it to be quite haunting, in fact. I don’t understand why it didn’t get more attention when it was first released. I believe it’s a cinematic work of art. Highly recommended.



Christopher Bean / Lewis Allen / 20th Century Fox-Hour (1955). A quiet New England household is disrupted by an invasion of art dealers who take an unexpected interest in a painting owned by one of the servants. A poignant 45 minute story adapted from a play by Sidney Howard and presented on a television anthology series, starring Thelma Ritter, Gene Lockhart, and Mildred Natwick. Strongly recommended. Here’s a high quality YouTube version of it.



Re-watches:

Pinky / Elia Kazan (1949). A mulatto woman (Jeanne Crain) who passed for white in the North returns home to the South to visit her grandmother (Ethel Waters). There she tends to Miss Em (Ethel Barrymore) and confronts racism head on, leading her to confess the truth of her race to her fiancé (William Lundigan). Not a perfect or great film, but a very moving and important one, with a ground breaking story for the period. Beautifully directed by Kazan, with superb performances by all the actresses, who were all Oscar nominated (Crain — Best Actress, Barrymore and Waters — Best Supporting Actress). Strongly recommended for its historical significance, the cast and Kazan’s direction.







State Fair / Henry King (1933). The original version of novelist Phil Stong's tale of a family that finds love and adventure at the Iowa State Fair, which later inspired the Rogers and Hammerstein musical. Excellent direction by Henry King, with a wonderful cast, including Janet Gaynor, Lew Ayres, and Louise Dresser. But it’s Will Rogers who really shines as he navigates family concerns and worries about his beloved pig, Blue Boy. A highly enjoyable film that received a Best Picture Oscar nomination. Strongly recommended for those who appreciate the cast as well as its portrayal of rural life at that time. (Personal note: Phil Stong was my 3rd cousin, and I know that he was writing about his family in the small town in Iowa where he was raised.)







Golden Boy / Rouben Mamoulian (1939). A poor young man (William Holden in his film debut) is a violin virtuoso, but he wants to become a champion boxer to make a fortune for his family, though his father (Lee J. Cobb) wants him to pursue his musical talent. Barbara Stanwyck and Adolph Menjou are the other stars of the film, and, of course, Stanwyck is wonderful. Adapted from the play by Clifford Odets, it’s a solid, moving production, very well directed by Mamoulian. Some interesting side-notes: Cobb was only seven years older than Holden when the film was made, but he did a superb job playing Holden’s father. And originally produced by the Group Theatre on Broadway, the cast of the play included the later famous directors, Elia Kazan and Martin Ritt, and Frances Farmer [portrayed by Jessica Lange in the film Frances (LINK)] played the Barbara Stanwyck role. Strongly recommended.



Torch Song Trilogy / Paul Bogart (1988). An excellent screen version of Harvey Fierstein’s hugely successful, multiple Tony Award-winning play, which Fierstein adapted and Bogart masterfully directed. It’s a challenging look at American gay life back in the seventies in which Fierstein plays a 1970s drag queen who falls in love twice and finally comes to terms with his self-absorbed mother (Ann Bancroft). Bancroft is perfect and Brian Kerwin and Matthew Broderick both give excellent performances as Fierstein’s lovers. But the film belongs to Fierstein, who’s brilliant in his starring, semi-autobiographical role. Strongly recommended.

The Last Kingdom: Seven Kings Must Die (2023).



The Assistant (2019).



On Chesil Beach (2017).

Alot... Berlin Express, Hotel Berlin,Weekend at the Waldorf, On Dangerous Ground, Bodyguard,Lifeboat, Murder my Sweet... Having an emergency at home. So it's been a very nice distraction watching stuff.

Thanks for posting, forca85. I hope things work out for the best for you.