Jeremiah Johnson (1972)

In 1972's hit film Jeremiah Johnson,  Robert Redford's character heads off into the Rocky Mountains to become a fur trading mountain man, alone in the wilderness. We don't know what motivates him right away, but in time the film reveals that Jeremiah was a veteran of the US-Mexican war, and fled to the north before the war ended (the film takes place in the early-mid 1800s).

I like the episodic format of the film. In one scene Jeremiah fights for his life against a pack of wolves; in another, he struggles for hours to light a fire pit under a snow-covered tree, only to have a pile of snow fall right down on top of it. My favorite scene is the one where Jeremiah, with the help of a young orphan boy he meets along the way, builds a log cabin house. Other interesting characters he meets include a seasoned hermit who mentors him and a Native American who learns to trust him. There is even a wedding scene, but I won't give away too much if you haven't seen the film. Recognizable actors pop up, such as Will Geer, Paul Benedict, and Matt Clark.

According to the book Box Office Hits by Susan Sackett; Redford told a reporter "I wanted this film to be an antidote to the general feeling int he States today that getting away from civilization is such a terrific thing and is so romantic....I wanted to show the kids what it is really like going it on your own in the wilderness and thoroughly deromanticize it for them." Director Sydney Pollack agreed, and told the New York Times: "You cannot live totally selfishly and be completely independent of the world. You must adjust to the needs of nature or of man."

Jeremiah Johnson holds up very well after more than 40 years, I think. It has a good share of humorous moments. And I loved the mellow folk ballads of the film's soundtrack, including the song "The Ballad of Jeremiah Johnson". I did some research online to find out who wrote and sung these songs; the site FilmScore has a good write up about the composer John Rubinstein (b. 1946) and writer-singer Tim McIntire (1944-1986).

I watched this movie on DVD, and was delighted to see not only an "Overture", but also an "Intermission" title card and an "Entr'acte"! I could hardly believe it. An Intermission - this film actually had an intermission back in the day! And it was only a 2-hour film. Pure delight.

Photos from Savannah Georgia, USA

Here are some of my favorite pics from my trip to Savannah last December.  

 

The historic area of Savannah is divided into squares, with each one forming a little community. Here's a picture of one of them. You'll see locals walk their dogs, or even a wedding party's photo shoot.

A good old fashioned brick and mortar bookstore. The E. Shaver Bookstore.

Clary's Restaurant, where 1997's Midnight In the Garden of Good & Evil was filmed.

The wall inside had lots of photos of the cast and crew of the film. Had pecan waffles here. 

I took one of the famous trolley tours around the city, and jumped on and off at various locations. Here's the riverfront. Shops & restaurants are here. 

Bar where Julia Roberts filmed Something to Talk About in 1995.

The square where Forrest Gump was filmed (the Tom Hanks bench scene)

Across the street is the historic Savannah Theater.

Here's the world famous Leopold's Ice Cream. If you are in Savannah, you must stop here. They are famous for their Tutti Fruitti -flavor ice cream. Hollywood producer Stratton Leopold owns this place, and all of his movie posters are on the wall (Wolfman, Sum of All Fears). The line was out the door and the place was packed when I was there.

Right next door is the SCAD theater; film fests and classic movie screenings are held here.

This use to be an old theater but I don't know it's history...will have to research this. 

Also nearby is the Lucas Theater, primarily a performing arts venue, they also show films.

An ad is promoting a Jimmy Stewart film fest! 

One of the coolest statues in the city (and there are MANY of them!) is this one honoring the great songwriter Johnny Mercer who was from Savannah.

The statue is by a bus terminal.

At first I thought the paper he was holding was a songbook, but it's actually a newspaper, as the statue is based on a photo of him leaning against a fire hydrant in New York. 

I had a great time here and would come back again one day. 

There is so much to see, and so much beautiful architecture, such as this lovely home:

 

Blue Jasmine (2013)

Cate Blanchett was really good; I'd be very happy if she won the Oscar this year. The movie is all about her character, a New York socialite who relocates to San Francisco after losing all her wealth. The screenplay by director Woody  Her character is like a fish out of water, and there is some humor in that. When a man falls for her, it made me think of the Vivien Leigh and Karl Malden characters in  A Streetcar Named Desire.  For example, I like how the movie frequently flashes back to her life in New York with her ex husband, played by Alec Baldwin, who's been playing philandering characters going back to 1988's Married to the Mob and Working Girl. The flashbacks slowly reveals what Blanchett's character went through. The supporting cast is excellent as well, especially Sally Hawkins who plays her sister --- she's like the "Stella" character from Streetcar.  And I love all the locations in this movie and scenery. There's a cool view when when Blanchett steps on the terrace of an oceanfront property.

Animal Crackers In My Soup (clip)

What is more adorable than little Shirley singing this? Scene from Curly Top 

Goodbye, Shirley Temple

A Damsel in Distress (1937)

This is a really fun musical comedy, featuring some wonderful songs by George Gershwin, and an Oscar-winning dance number, back when they gave Oscars for Best Dance Direction.

Fred Astaire plays an American entertainer visiting London. At one point, a crowd of people recognizes Fred and they get him to dance on the spot. It's a fun dance scene on a city street.

Joan Fontaine, proving she can handle the lead in a romantic comedy, is the titular damsel, who lives in a mansion with her father (Montagu Love) and numerous servants. Joan's "distress" is that she's forbidden to leave the mansion after she attempts a runaway to find a lover.

One of the young teenage servants named Albert (Harry Watson of The Watson Family) plays matchmaker and attempts to get Fred to fall in love with Joan and vice versa. Albert is really funny in this movie. Plenty of mistaken identity hilarity ensues.

George Burns and Gracie Allen play Astaire's sidekick assistants. They're not essential to the plot but provide plenty of comedic relief with zany one liners and retorts. In one scene, George and Gracie tour the mansion; a sign inside reads "Do Not Finger Art Objects" and Gracie giggles thinking "Art Objects" is a man's name.

I imagined Ginger Rogers - Fred's usual co-star - playing the lead insted of Joan, but Joan really won me over; she has good chemistry with Fred.  Joan's part doesn't require any dancing, except for one scene where she and Fred frolic on the castle grounds.

A high point in the film is the carnival sequence featuring the Oscar winning dance number in a fun house. Gracie really impressed me with her singing and dancing chops!

Highly Recommended. Directed by George Stevens.  Written by P. G. Wodehouse.

Maximilian Schell (1930-2014)

Reported today on The Hollywood Reporter, CNN.com and ABC News.

Mr Schell's credits include:

1958 The Young Lions

1961 Judgment at Nurenberg (Oscar for Best Actor)

1964 Topkapi

1966 The Deadly Affair

1967 Counterpoint

1972 Pope Joan

1974 The Odessa File

1975 The Man in the Glass Booth (Oscar nomination)

1977 A Bridge Too Far

1977 Julia  (Oscar nomination)

1979 The Black Hole

1990 The Freshman

1993 A Fair Off Place

1994 Little Odessa

1998 Deep Impact

2002 My Sister Maria

2008 The Brothers Bloom