Helene Posted March 17, 2006 Share Posted March 17, 2006 I am inspired to see if it's been released in dvd. Thanks, dirac, for mentioning it!45 episodes of Sports Night on six disks, currently available on amazon.com for ~$48 new. (That little search box on the toolbar is going to make a pauper out of me ) Link to comment
richard53dog Posted March 17, 2006 Share Posted March 17, 2006 I love The Lady Eve too. Love that entire movie. The opening credits alone are a classic. Soooooo clever. Richard Link to comment
dirac Posted March 17, 2006 Share Posted March 17, 2006 I tend to tire of Aaron Sorkin’s rat-at-tat style more quickly than not, but Sports Night was a good show. It's too bad. The Lady Eve is my second favorite Preston Sturges film, next to Unfaithfully Yours. Stanwyck is funny, smart, and sexy, and Henry Fonda was never so appealing before or after. It's delish. Link to comment
Golden Gate Posted March 17, 2006 Share Posted March 17, 2006 I have been glued to this monitor for several minutes now... laughing, reminiscing, agreeing, disagreeing, taking notes and adding to the ever-growing 'oh I have to see that' list... as the worlds most hopeless romantic, however... I can't leave without adding my favs too - a good deal of which were already mentioned. ...in no particular order It happened one night Chocolat Bringing up baby Casablanca GWTW Bed of Roses Meet Joe Black (a double romance, two different guys same body) The Notebook The King and I (Kerr/Brenner, just kills me every single time) Anna and the King (Foster and CYF) A walk in the clouds (one of the top favs without question) Ghost Titanic Pretty Woman Sleepless in Seattle Breakfast at Tiffany's Roman Holiday Funny Face (notice the trend...) Brigadoon An American in Paris (another trend) The Mirror has two faces French Kiss Everafter Sabrina (both versions) Much ado about nothing Shakespeare in Love Phantom of the opera Midsummer nights dream Madame Butterfly Farewell my concubine Dr. Zhivago The Thornbirds (this one gets me SO frustrated; I yelled at the tv last time. huh.. ) The Far Pavilions... I better stop here, but I could go on, I think indefinitely. Thanks for the topic, and all the input, I have thoroughly enjoyed reading everyone's notes. Golden Gate Link to comment
papeetepatrick Posted May 28, 2006 Share Posted May 28, 2006 Romance/Romantic Films: The Scent of Green Papaya (French-Vietnamese) Last Year at Marienbad Brokeback Mountain A Summer Place (Sandra Dee) My Forbidden Past (Mitchum, Gardner) Camille The Apartment The Kiss (Garbo silent) Legend of the Happy Valley (Gish, Bobby Harron--Griffith) A Tale of Winter (Rohmer) Blonde Venus South Pacific Two for the Road Born Yesterday (Judy Holliday version only) I'm No Angel Days of Wine and Roses Gone With the Wind Walkabout Les Enfants du Paradis Hair Monster's Ball Picnic Pas Sur la Bouche Midnight Cowboy Lili Intolerance Farewell, My Lovely (Mitchum, Rampling, 70's) Welcome to L.A. Imitation of Life (1958, Sirk/Turner version) Casablanca Out of the Past Against all Odds Fanny (Leslie Caron) The Broadway Melody of 1929 The Sleeping Beauty (1964, USSR) A Streetcar Named Desire (Ann-Margret) Night of the Iguana Lady Chatterley's Lover (Darrieux) Ken Russell's 'The Rainbow' Stolen Kisses (Truffaut) Return of the Soldier Saturday Night and Sunday Morning Morgan From Here to Eternity Cinema Paradiso Some Like it Hot Link to comment
drval01 Posted May 28, 2006 Share Posted May 28, 2006 Just some quick offerings: Moonstruck The Bridges of Madison County The Quiet Man Link to comment
dirac Posted May 28, 2006 Share Posted May 28, 2006 I've always enjoyed the love story in The Quiet Man. John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara play two strong minded people from different cultures who find a way to live with each other with mutual respect for those differences. (At first Wayne can't understand the big deal about the dowry; he sees it as just money, not realizing that to her it's not money either, but a symbol of her worth and what she brings to the marriage.) Also worth the price of admission is Barry Fitzgerald viewing the wreck of the marital bed and muttering "Impetuous! Homeric!" A very intriguing list, papeetepatrick -- a few titles there I'd not have expected to see on a list of romantic films, although I agree with most of them. I really, really like A Summer Place, although I'm not sure I can defend it, and Stolen Kisses is the picture I most prefer from Truffaut's Doinel cycle (next to 400 Blows) -- not a group of movies I admire as a whole. I'm afraid I took an active dislike to "Morgan!" for reasons available upon request. Vanessa Redgrave is ravishing, however. Link to comment
canbelto Posted May 28, 2006 Author Share Posted May 28, 2006 Although rather dark and perverse, I think Gilda is a compelling romance. Rita Hayworth is every bit as sexy as everyone says she is, and both she and Ford do very well in portraying a sadomasochistic, love-hate relationship. Link to comment
dirac Posted May 30, 2006 Share Posted May 30, 2006 Gilda is indeed a romance of a noirish kind, although I thought the interestingly kinky relationship between Ford and George Macready was rather more intriguing than the Ford –Hayworth affair. I've said this elsewhere and so apologize for repeating myself, but I tend to dislike the masochistic elements in the latter. It’s upsetting to see Hayworth kicked around, with the strong implication that she deserves all this punishment for being a Bad Woman. Link to comment
canbelto Posted May 30, 2006 Author Share Posted May 30, 2006 Film noir is a pretty sexist genre. I agree that what makes Gilda great is the love triangle that goes in all directions. Ford and MacReady's relationship is really creepy, especially the "kept man" nature of Ford's "occupation." And the constant cane, with the refrain, "It'll just be the three of us." But Gilda is a compelling romance because it takes the usual idea in noir (that females are dangerous fatales who will ruin Everyman's life by way of their sexuality) and adds on a twist, because the Ford character is even sleazier than Hayworth's character. Film noir is a contrast to that other very popular 30s/40s genre, which was the female weepie romance. In those cases, female sexuality is sublimated into saintliness and martyrdom. A great example of this would be Now, Voyager. When I first saw it I laughed. Yeah, so Jerry will "visit" Charlotte and Tina from time to time. But once I got over that initial hokiness, I thought Now, Voyager was among the best of the female weepie romance. Link to comment
dirac Posted May 30, 2006 Share Posted May 30, 2006 I’m not sure that sexuality is really sublimated in “Now, Voyager” – isn’t the story really about Davis reasserting the sexuality that her mother stomped on (remember the early scene on the boat that Davis recalls for Claude Rains)? True, Henreid and she don’t wind up together technically, but although the censor wouldn’t allow it to be presented openly I do get the impression that they manage to make great music. I love NV too. Within the woman’s picture context, it has genuine power, mainly due to Davis of course. I think my favorite scene isn’t the famous “we have the stars” one but an earlier bit where Bette gives her Boston Brahmin fiancee the brushoff: (“Let’s not linger over it, Elliott.”) Link to comment
canbelto Posted May 31, 2006 Author Share Posted May 31, 2006 dirac, I think that the audience was meant to assume that Jerry's "visits" to Charlotte and Tina would be purely platonic. That was the only way they could get it through the code. But of course the ultra-romantic ending suggests that the "stars" will include some romance, and soon Jerry's wife will pass on and Jerry and Charlotte will then have the moon too. It's the strength of Davis's performance makes NV transcend its weepie genre. Also, although I find Henreid stiff elsewhere, he does have great chemistry with Davis. The role of Charlotte also came easy for Davis, whose accent was 3/4 New England and 1/4 Hollywood. I can totally believe her as the Boston spinster as well as the glamour girl. Davis is one of the few actresses who can turn a rather hackneyed script into something greater by her mere presence. When young, Montgomery Clift was remarkable for playing the young romantic. I know the story is very dark, but Clift is heartbreaking in Place in the Sun, and he brought out the very best in Elizabeth Taylor. Link to comment
dirac Posted May 31, 2006 Share Posted May 31, 2006 When young, Montgomery Clift was remarkable for playing the young romantic. I know the story is very dark, but Clift is heartbreaking in Place in the Sun, and he brought out the very best in Elizabeth Taylor. He coached her intensively, I understand – literally acted out entire scenes playing Angela for her, so she would get the idea. I’m not too crazy for the movie, however, as I don’t think An American Tragedy is really suitable material for a swoony romance. The director, George Stevens, seemed to have gotten carried away with closeups of his two gorgeous stars. Understandable, but it threw the whole story out of kilter. Link to comment
canbelto Posted May 31, 2006 Author Share Posted May 31, 2006 In the romance department, I think Lady Vanishes might be Hitchcock's most delightful romance. Although the movie in itself is not a romance, Iris and Gilbert have wonderful chemistry, and it's one of the few Hitchcock "romances" where there's no dark side. Link to comment
dirac Posted June 1, 2006 Share Posted June 1, 2006 The romantic elements in Hitchcock’s early pictures are handled much better than the later ones – less heaviness, more wit. The 39 Steps has charming interaction between Robert Donat and Madeleine Carroll, and a more serious relationship shown with John Laurie and Peggy Ashcroft as the unhappily married couple. Link to comment
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