spiderwort
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@spiderwort
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Post by spiderwort on Dec 13, 2017 13:34:16 GMT
I finally got to see (thanks, TCM!) Lady on a Train, a whodunit (I certainly wouldn’t call it a “noir,” as I’ve seen it described) that I’ve wanted to see ever since Everson praised it in The Detective in Film (and I think it was recommended to me here, in the whodunits thread?) Lots of fun, and Deanna Durbin is as cute as a button. I guessed the murderer from the moment his name appeared in the credits, but that’s no real flaw: it’s fast-paced and entertaining, with some great set pieces (the Circus Club, recalling the West Indies Club in Another Thin Man). Oh, and it’s set at Christmastime! My one real criticisms were its underuse of the great Edward Everett Horton, funny (as always) and welcome though he is, and its doubtlessly-required-by-producers lulls for Miss Durbin to sing (her rendition of “Silent Night” is beautiful, but the other songs only serve to stop the film in its tracks). Ah, and the story was written by Saint creator Leslie Charteris (and borrowed wholesale [stolen?] by Agatha Christie for 4.50 from Paddington). So interesting, Salzmank. I saw Lady on a Train when I was very young, and for some reason it made a strong impression on me. I've always wanted to see it again to see if I could understand why. Well, I watched it, and I enjoyed it (especially her singing), but I can't for the life of me get why it impressed me so much when I was young. Still, I enjoyed it. Glad you brought it up. (What a voice that woman had!)
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Post by Nalkarj on Dec 13, 2017 15:28:49 GMT
Thanks, spiderwort. Y’know, it’s kinda funny what movies (and books, and television programs, and other forms of entertainment) leave a lasting impression on us. I’ll probably always have a good feeling about The Talk of the Town because I first watched it on a chilly night, with a fire in the hearth, on New Year’s (perhaps that’d work as well for Bat’s Christmas memories thread?)—or about The Big Noise because it was the first Laurel and Hardy movie I ever watched, with my grandfather, who loved the Boys. Now, these may or may not be particularly good movies, but the intersection of memory and emotion remains… Anyway, happy you enjoyed it, even if you can’t figure out why it once impressed you so much! I think you recommended it to me on the whodunits thread; I was happy to see it at last.
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