In this series are several posts commemorating the centennial: photos, video clips, anecdotes, and the writings of President Reagan when he was in the White House, including letters and journal entries.I hope you enjoy this series. Click on a link below to read more.
Some interesting photos from a number of memorials/museums dedicated to President Reagan:
2011 marks the 100th Anniversary of the birth of many of our favorite classic movie stars: Ginger Rogers (born July 16,1911), Lucille Ball (born August 6, 1911), Jean Harlow (born March 3, 1911), Vincent Price (born May 27, 1911), Roy Rogers (born November 5, 1911), Robert Taylor (born August 5, 1911) and in February of 2011 Ronald Reagan (born February 6, 1911) who of course was also the 40th President of the United States.
Charlie Coward on the set of The Password Is Courage,
with Dirk Bogarde, who played him
in the film
I first heard about this movie from Kate's site devoted to Dirk Bogarde and thought I might like it, the story of a British soilder's numerous attempts to escape a German POW camp during WW2. Watching Bogarde and his fellow offers outsmart the Nazis is just as fun as watching William Holden and the rest of the boys of Stalag 17 (1953). Like that film (one of my favorites ever), Courage has a similiar tone in that it is a partial comedy with some very suspenseful moments, including several train crashes and a prison camp set ablaze. However, this film is based on a true story of Charlie Coward, who served as techinical advisor on the film. Reportedly much of the action was fictionalized for dramatic purposes, but he did recount many of his experiences in his book, which I have not read.
The ending of the film features an exciting escape sequence. And I love the scene in the beginning of the film where Bogarde hides out in a barn and is mistaken for a wounded Nazi soilder. He's then awarded a medal by the Nazis - and this really happened! The poster for the film read: "The Only Man Ever Awarded the Iron Cross - by the Enemy!"
One thing that should be noted: the film leaves out some of the most heroic episodes of Charles' life. Towards the end of the war, he was actually shipped to the Monowitz concentration camp in Poland, and eventually saved the lives of hundreds of Jews (this alone would make for a great film).
Coward has a tree planted in his honour in the Avenue of Righteous Gentiles in Yad Vashem. I've been to Yad Vashem and have seen these trees, but I didn't know about all that Coward did, nor of his book/film. I did see the tree planted in honor of Oscar Schindler. And just last year, Coward was posthumously named a British Hero of the Holocaust by the British Government (read article).
The Password is Courage is an inspiring movie and great entertainment; I highly recommened it. You can occasionally catch it playing on the Turner Classics channel.
Last week American politician and humanitarian Sargent Shriver passed away at the age of 95.(ABC News | People) He and his late wife Eunice (sister of John F. Kennedy) often hosted special charity benefits for the Special Olympics, and in 1983, the entire cast of Superman III was invited (source: a 1983 documentary on the making of Superman III, which you can watch here or below in this post) .
Sargent Shriver loved
Jackie Cooper
In the first few minutes of this special, you can see the Shrivers greet producer Alexander Salkind (Shriver calls him the "original Superman" ha ha), director Richard Lester, Richard Pryor and Jackie Cooper, whom Shriver is ecstatic to meet. He tells the former 1930s child star that he's been a fan of his since his earliest movies.
Though many critics will argue the film itself is less than super, this documentary I think is interesting (I'm a sucker for any "making of" film).
What It's About:
In the 1870s, 14-year old Mattie Ross (Hallie Steinfeld) travels to the town where her father was killed - Fort Smith, Arkansas - and hires a whiskey-drinking US Marshall (Jeff Bridges) to bring the killer (Josh Brolin) to justice. The two are joined by a Texas ranger LaBeef (Matt Damon) and they all travel through the wilderness on horseback to find the drifter.
My Take (some spoilers ahead):
I was really looking forward to seeing this movie ever since I saw this awesome trailer ---
If they gave Oscars for Best Trailer - this one should win, hands down!! And I was not disappointed when I saw it on opening night. Jeff Bridges really is the perfect choice I think to play this character. I wonder if he ever met John Wayne through his dad; I'm thinking that Lloyd Bridges and Wayne did some pictures together, but I can't think of any at the moment. Will have to look this up.
I don't think it's unfair to call this 2010 movie a "remake" of the original. That's what everyone is calling it. The directors of the new film, Joel and Ethan Coen, would like us to believe that this a retelling of the novel. It is, but I'm sure they watched the original film at some point, and thought to themselves how they can improve. My library had a copy of the original novel, so I was able to read through and compare some of the parts with the written page.
Hallie Steinfeld and Barry Pepper, both deliver Oscar-worthy performances
The scenes in the new film play out in almost the same order as the first film, with a few minor dramatic liberties.
If you've seen the first movie, much will be familiar - LaBeef spanks Mattie after she crosses the river on Little Blackie, just like in the first film, and Cogburn still calls him a "brushpopper". Jeff Bridges doesn't say, "She reminds me of me" but you know he's thinking that. And the iconic climax still has Cogburn taking the reins in his teeth, charging up against Ned Pepper (Barry Pepper) and three others (just as the book describes). I even wondered if this scene was filmed in the same field as the '69 film. It wasn't; it looks just like it.
The Coens add some interesting new elements with this version, which was co-produced by Steven Spielberg. They cast an age-appropriate actress for the part of head strong Mattie, and Hallie Steinfeld is very impressive. I'd like to see her get nominated for an Oscar. Barry Pepper is also excellent, as is the rest of the supporting cast.
John Carradine?
There are a few new interesting characters in this version, including a snoring "Grandma Turner", who we don't get to see in the original. There is also a medicine man who seems to be channeling the great character actor John Carradine. I really enjoyed these new elements, and was expecting such from a remake/retelling.
We also get to see an older version of Mattie (Elizabeth Marvel) at the end, and we learn that she loses her arm (it's not just broken like in the 1969 version). This ending is faithful to the book. LaBeef lives in the end, just as it's written (he dies in the '69 movie version).
I only wish the final scenes lasted a bit longer; the ending seemed to go by very fast after the final climatic sequence. I would have liked to have seen more scenes with this older Mattie character. In fact, I imagined what this story might be like as a 3 or 4-part TV miniseries. Seriously. If the Coens can add a bearskin-clad medicine man character and make him entertaining, why not have Cogburn and Mattie meet some other characters along the way? Show some flashbacks of Cogburn at the Green Frog. Bring back General Sterling Price, the cat!
Some of my favorite parts of the older movie - the scene in Chen's store and the dinner scene in the boarding house - are not in the new film (though the set designers did put in a deck of cards near Cogburn's bed). I recall reading a magazine article where the Coens said they didn't want to slow the film with scenes they felt were unnecessary. That must have included any scenes with Mattie back at home talking with her father before he gets killed.
Sideburns alert! With this outfit, you'll think Matt Damon just stepped out of a 1960s western and into this picture!
A few things bothered me about the new version, but they weren't enough to spoil my enjoyment of the picture. For one, Bridges' mumbling is hard to understand at times. When this comes out on DVD I'll have to watch it again with "Subtitles: English" turned on. One of my friends thought he was channelling the "Karl Childers" character from Sling Blade.
Also he doesn't say how he lost his eye like in the first film (if he did, I missed it through the mumbling).
Another scene that struck me in a negative way was when Blackie dies and Cogburn goes to pick up Mattie - to me it almost looked like he was going to rape her, which would have been a bit of a disturbing deviation from the original story; thankfully that's not where that went. Also I thought Cogburn would have dropped dead from a heart attack after all that running and huffing and puffing after Blackie dies. The original movie showed them on a wagon for much of the way back, which is more faithful to the book.
In both films, Mattie watches a public execution / hanging in the beginning. In the book, several white men and one Indian is hung, and each of the three give their last public words. The 1969 does not feature any their last words nor the Indian. The 2010 version keeps the Indian and the last words of the two white men, but the last words of the Indian are "not allowed"; a black sack is placed on his head before he can say anything. But according to the novel, the last words of the Indian are: "I have repented my sins and soon I will be in heaven with Christ my savior. Now I must die like a man." Because this was eliminated, I'm not sure if the Coens were trying to express a message about the racism of the time, or to avoid the Christian testimony - which may have confused audiences - or both. Several people laughed at this scene, perhaps thinking this was Coen Brothers' dark humor at work.
Seems like both movie versions were trying to avoid some sort of controversy and failed to be faithful to the novel during this hanging scene.
I think if you liked the original movie, or if you just like westerns, you will enjoy this picture.
The music score by Carter Burwell is wonderful. It's a shame he is ineligible for an Oscar, simply because some of the arrangements borrow a few bars of the song "Leaning on the Everlasting Arms", which is my favorite Gospel hymn.
I found some samples of the tracks online. These are from great moments in the movie:
This is "Little Blackie's" (Mattie's horse's) theme. This is played when Mattie goes to the stable:
This is the music played during the climatic "Fill Your Hands!" scene. Very exciting!
What It's About:
In the 1870s, 14-year old Mattie Ross (Kim Darby) travels to the town where her father was killed - Fort Smith, Arkansas - and hires a whiskey-drinking US Marshall (John Wayne) to bring the killer (Jeff Corey) to justice. The two are joined by a Texas ranger LaBeef (Glenn Campbell) and they all travel through the wilderness on horseback to find the drifter.
Mattie (Kim Darby) and her father (played by John Pickard)
My take:
I really like this movie, and liked the Cogburn-Mattie "odd couple" relationship. By the end of the film, Cogburn becomes Mattie's surrogate father figure. Kim Darby is very spunky and determined; some critics think she is too old for the part but I thought she was good. Campbell is just ok; I suspect he was cast so no actor could outshine Wayne. Plus it seems like in the 1960s every other pop star was given a part in a major motion picture, from Eddie Fisher to Tony Bennett. The LaBeef character and Cogburn have some funny banter in this film, and it's funny when Wayne calls him a "jaybird". ha ha.
Dinner scene at the boarding house. Mattie eats dumplings.
My favorite part in the movie is the scene in Chen's store, when Mattie comes and eats dinner with a drunken Wayne and Chen, who later play a game of cards. We also get to meet his cat, General Sterling Price.
Mattie (after Cogburn invites her to dinner): I'd like to meet your family! Cogburn (in Chen's store): This is my father, Chen Lee, and (pointing to the cat) my nephew General Sterling Price!
Cogburn, to his cat: Well, General, look what we've got! (referring to the wad of cash that Mattie just gave him)
There's a funny scene when Cogburn shoots a rat dead after he humorously shouts at him. Mattie throws the rat outside and says to the cat, "That was your job!". The cat then runs after the dead mouse to eat it. Ha ha. Wayne and Mattie continue talking about "rat hunting".
I love John Wayne in this movie, drunk scenes and all. The scene that probably clinched the Oscar for him (besides his drunk speeches) is the one where he talks to Mattie at night and tells her about his ex wife and son, and about how he lost his eye. Also great in this is Robert Duvall as Ned Pepper.
There is some great scenery, and an enjoyable score by the great Elmer Bernstein. Co-starring Jeff Corey and Dennis Hopper. Directed by Henry Hathaway.
My rating: A
The film ends with Cogburn and Mattie (with her arm bandaged) visiting her father's grave. Mattie then expresses to Rooster how she would like for him to be buried near her father and family one day. It's a very touching sequence, and a nice ending to a very entertaining film.
What it's about Douglas Fairbanks, Sr. and a crew of three—photographers Harry Sharp and Chuck Lewis and co-director Victor Fleming—journey around the world and report on various cultural curiosities and the humor they find in everyday life overseas. (From TCM.com)
My Take:
I love this movie! It's narrated by our "tour guide", Mr. Fairbanks himself, who addresses the camera throughout. We travel with him to Japan, China, India, Siam (Thailand today), and India among other countries, mostly in Asia. This film must have been incredible to watch on the big screen in 1931 when there were no TVs: we see some awesome landscape views, mixed in with humorous bits featuring Fairbanks, in a similar fashion to the popular TV travel show Globetrekker. In one scene, Fairbanks pretends like he's being chased by a wild leopard (but it's all trick photography). In another scene, he plays golf on a giant map of the world; when his ball lands on an island, he "jumps" over the ocean so he doesn't "fall into it". Plus he cracks alot of jokes throughout and I found myself laughing hysterically.
The crew travels mostly through Asia, but there is funny gag at the end where they hop on a flying carpet and manage to see other countries and cities in America, giving the illusion they're literally traveling "around the world". At one point the carpet flies over Chicago and there are some bullets fired at it. Har har. There are one or two other Chicago/mobster jokes in the film too (that cracked up our audience)
I don't think this type of full-length travel film was common back in the early 30s. This is a one of a kind film. You can tell that Fairbanks had fun making this film. The total running time is about 80 minutes (hence, Around the world in 80 minutes) A follow-up film might have been cool with Mr. Fairbanks hosting again, perhaps with a trip to Europe, which would have been fun. Highly recommended!
What It's About
A movie with two parallel stories, one starring director Woody Allen and the other starring Martin Landau, who is fantastic in his role. Allen plays a documentary filmmaker, and Landau plays an eye doctor; both of them are in marriages that are fizzling. Throughout the film we learn more about them and there's always something interesting that comes up.
The Landau character has problems with his mistress (Angelica Huston) and about halfway through the film, he contemplates killing her. Sam Waterson plays an understanding rabbi who tries to help Landau emotionally and spiritually.
The two characters finally meet at the end of the film.
My Take
I thought this was a very thought provoking film, and one of the best of Allen's I've ever seen. In a great sequence, Landau's character finds himself back at a passover seder when he was a young boy, and sees his family talk about God and issues of life. The murder angle can get a bit dark at times, but I liked how the characters - in particular Landau's - question the morality of what they are doing. His wife is played by Claire Bloom. All through the movie I was wondering what would happen if/when she finds out about Landau's affair, mistress, and/or murder.
I liked the scenes where Allen dates Mia Farrow, his divorced assistant. On one of their dates they go to see see a classic movie. On another date, they watch Singin' in the Rain at home.
The Allen character also takes his young niece to the movies a few times, and they enjoy such classics as Mr. & Mrs Smith, This Gun for Hire, The Last Gangster, and a Betty Hutton musical. Scenes from each of these movies is shown.
Update 3/12/11:
I asked Gerald of Laszlo's on Lex about the retro theater featured in this film, and inquired if he had ever been there. Gerald said that the name of the theater was the Bleecker Street Cinema in the West Village, and that over the years he did attend with some regularity, as he lived nearby at the time.
Unfortunately, the theater is now gone.
More information here from the Cinema Treasures website:
Thanks Gerald for the information on the Bleecker.
Retro Alert:
There's a scene where Farrow's character uses a huge cell phone the size of a brick. Another scene shows Allen using a pay phone to check his messages. And this was only 21 years ago!
With Alan Alda, Darryl Hannah, Jerry Orbach. Written and Directed by Woody Allen.
The rankings come from Quigley Publishing Co.'s annual list (since 1932) of top money making stars in the USA, which based on a poll of hundreds of theater executives. The list does not rank stars only on how much cash their films made, but on what theater owners say about who attracts audiences on their star power alone.
Susannah York passed away over this weekend; she was 72 and was battling cancer. She was a great actress and appeared in some wonderful films in the 1960s and 1970s, including the Oscar-winning classics Tom Jones and A Man for All Seasons. I liked her in all the films I've seen her in, including the TV version of A Christmas Carol from 1984. Kate from Silents and Talkies made a lovely video tribute that I've watched twice so far. It features some of the best films of Ms. York's, and a very touching song. Rest in peace.
Selected Filmography (theatrical films)
Tom Jones
1960 There Was a Crooked Man
1960 Tunes of Glory
1961 Loss of Innocence
1962 Freud
1963 Tom Jones
1964 The 7th Dawn
1965 Sands of the Kalahari
1966 A Man for All Seasons
1966 Kaleidoscope
1968 Sebastian
A Man For All Seasons
1968 Duffy
1969 The Killing of Sister George
1969 Oh! What a Lovely War
1969 Lock Up Your Daughters!
1969 Battle of Britain
1969 They Shoot Horses, Don't They?
1970 Brotherly Love
Superman
1971 Happy Birthday Wanda June
1972 X, Y, and Zee
1972 Images
1974 The Great Gold Conspiracy
1975 The Maids
1975 That Lucky Touch
1975 Conduct Unbecoming
1976 Sky Riders
They Shoot Horses, Don't They?
1976 Eliza Fraser
1978 The Shout
1978 The Silent Partner
1978 Superman
1980 The Awakening
1980 Falling in Love Again
1980 Superman II
1981 Loophole
1982 Alicja
1983 Yellowbeard
1987 Mio in the Land of Faraway (Christian Bale's first film)
In this series are several posts commemorating the centennial: photos, video clips, anecdotes, and the writings of President Reagan when he was in the White House, including letters and journal entries.I hope you enjoy this series. Click on a link below to read more.
