Things I’m Thankful For…
While I’m thankful that I’m off school for a whole week, I’m not so thankful for all the studying I have to do to get caught up for finals. Also, since it’s snowing I’m stuck in my apartment. Good thing I have a case full of classic films to get me through the week! Since I’ve probably watched less than 10 films in the last four months I’m planning on making up for it this week.
My only tip for picking films to watch while studying is don’t watch anything for the first time. I either spend the whole time watching the film and get nothing else done or I end up continually re-winding the film because I missed crucial parts.
That said, here’s a little of what I’m planning on watching this week while brushing up on interpreting blood gas values:
Doctor Zhivago
Not only is Doctor Zhivago an amazing movie, its also incredibly long. Epics are perfect for people like me who tend to study for 10 minutes and then get distracted by the internet for the next 30 minutes. Plus, the view out my window is starting to look like the movie scenery.
The Misfits
The Misfits is only of my favorite films, but I haven’t had the chance to watch it for a while. Clark Gable, Montgomery Clift, and wild mustangs – what could be better than that for a snowy afternoon in front of the tv?
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
Because who does’t want to see Paul Newman on the screen in between studying really boring notes?
Strangers on a Train
I thought about watching this on Halloween, but didn’t get to it so I’m making up for it this week. Strangers on a Train is not one of Hitchcock’s best known films, but it’s one of my favorites. Bruno may be one of Hitchcock’s best villains as I’ve previously mentioned.
What is your go to movie when you want some entertainment while working or studying?
The Classic LIFE
In celebration of its 75th Anniversary, LIFE magazine has chosen 75 of the best covers. You can see all the covers here. The classic highlights:
Gene Tierney 1941
Jeanne Crain 1946
Elizabeth Taylor 1947
Audrey Hepburn 1953
Marilyn Monroe 1959
Clark Gable 1961
Alfred Hitchcock 1963
Frank Sinatra 1965
The Lost Tweets of Hollywood
December’s Vanity Fair includes a piece much like our Thanksgiving With The Stars post, where thoughts of classic actors are imagined – this time in “tweet” form. Have a read!
Halloween 2011: Florence of Arabia
Happy Halloween everyone! For the third year in a row I dressed as a notable classic film character. As evidenced by the number of people I interacted with today who were not familiar with Lawrence of Arabia (or even Lawrence of Arabia), there’s still a lot of work to be done in spreading the word about classic film. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go catch my camel…
Classic Classroom: Citizen Kane
So you never got around to watching one of the most highly regarded films of all-time. (Damn those Real Housewives marathons.) In honor of the film’s 70th anniversary, we’ve put together a cheat sheet for Kane’s most commonly used cultural references.
Orson Welles
Welles wrote, directed, and starred in Citizen Kane – at age 25. (!!!) He went on to direct or star in such classics as The Magnificent Ambersons, Jane Eyre, The Lady from Shanghai, Macbeth, The Third Man, and Touch of Evil. Or perhaps you know him as the voice of Unicron in Transformers: The Movie. His directorial style was never passive and he never shied away from doing something different, something outside the mainstream. I’ve seen two of his later works – F is for Fake and The Immortal Story – and though they are…weird, you somehow know you’re in the hands of a genius.
Charles Foster Kane
The main character of the film who was partially based on media tycoon William Randolph Hearst. Kane is a wildly successful media man whose political aspirations are ended upon public discovery of his mistress.
Xanadu
Kane’s mansion in Florida where he spends his last years in seclusion. The decor is a textbook example of gaudy opulence. Xanadu mirrors Hearst Castle, the compound built by William Randolph Hearst in San Simeon, California.
Rosebud
On his deathbed, Kane mutters the word “rosebud” and the film winds its way through Kane’s life story as a reporter attempts to find out what – or who – “rosebud” is. To solve that mystery, you’ll have to watch the film…
The War Room: So Proudly We Hail! (1943)
Once again school has restarted and my available movie time and blogging time has disappeared so this will be my last entry in the series (until maybe next summer). Hope you enjoyed the posts!
The Plot
A group of military nurses originally depart for an easy tour in Hawaii, but are re-routed to the Phillipines after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Each of the three main women, Lt. Janet “Davy” Davidson (Claudette Colbert), Lt. Joan O’Doul (Paulette Goddard), and Lt. Olivia D’Arcy (Veronica Lake) has a relationship either past or present with a soldier. Lt. Davy meets Lt. John Summers (George Reeves) while en-route to Hawaii and the two begin a relationship that is tested when they are soon separated after landing on the island of Baatan. Davy’s unit is faced with daily bombardments by the Japanese, diminishing supplies, and a never ending line of sick and wounded men to help.
What I like about the film
So Proudly We Hail! is a great example of a war film that is both entertaining, but also has a purpose. The film does an excellent job of conveying the emotions and struggles of WWII participants who were not soldiers in name. I was quite surprised when I first watched the film at how honest the film was about the brutality the military nurses faced during the war – Veronica Lake’s story in particular (no spoilers here!). The scenes when the military is evacuating Baatan and when they are trapped at the Malinta Tunnel are especially compelling and intense.
The real focus of the movie though is the hardships the women face with their respective soldier love interests though, so if you typically avoid war films because you hate explosions I think you can still enjoy this film. And don’t worry, it’s not Saving Private Ryan levels of explosions. In addition, Paulette Goddard, in an Academy Award nominated performance as Lt. O’Doul, acts as the morale booster for the unit and brings some humor and lightness to an otherwise serious film.
On a side note, I found this video a while back that featured Veronica Lake promoting a new, factory safe hairstyle – just another way Hollywood stars supported the war effort on the home front during WWII.
Favorite Fridays: Mouse House Edition
This week, Al and I pick our favorite film from the vaults of Disney…
Alix picks: Alice In Wonderland (1951)
Disney’s Alice in Wonderland is my favorite adaptation of one of my favorite books. It has become my go-to movie when I need to study but also want to have something on in the background. This usually ends with me having “All in the Golden Afternoon” or “The Walrus and the Carpenter” stuck in my head for the rest of the day. The film uses scenes from both Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass and, in my opinion, perfectly captures the tone of the books. I hate when people try to make the story darker and scarier than it really is and the Disney version keeps Wonderland colorful and light, just as I imagined.
Lindsay picks: Sleeping Beauty (1959)
Although there are pictures of a seven-year-old me sitting on a boulder singing Ariel’s song with a waterlily tucked behind my ear, Princess Aurora has always been my favorite Disney princess. She got to wear a cape and dance in the forest with squirrels, bunnies, birds, and an owl AND waltz on clouds! What makes Sleeping Beauty so great, though, is perhaps not Aurora but the supporting cast of characters – the sensible Flora, the sensitive Fauna, the stubborn Merryweather, the drunken minstrel, Maleficent’s boneheaded goons, and Prince Phillip’s horse Sampson.
Inspired by Norma Desmond perhaps?
One of my life goals is to have a bird land on my finger.
Supporting Actor Spotlight: George Sanders
Name: George Henry Sanders
Famous Roles: Addison DeWitt in All About Eve (1950), Lord Henry Wotton in The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945), voice of Shere Khan in The Jungle Book (1967).
Trademark: His voice – smooth and rich with a sophisticated English accent. Excelled at playing the villain.
Awards and Achievements: Won the 1950 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in All About Eve. Also authored two crime novels and released an album entitled The George Sanders Touch: Songs for the Lovely Lady.
Why We Love Him: His voice! When portraying a villain, his voice is deliciously evil and seductive. Joseph L. Mankiewicz knew what he was doing when he selected Sanders for the opening narration of All About Eve. His voice over sets the tone perfectly for the snarky, biting dialogue that is to come.
The War Room: The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)
I’m sure most of you classic film fans have already seen The Best Years of Our Lives, but for those of you new to classic film this is a must see! This film isn’t set on the battlefield, but instead tells the story of the soldiers after the war is over.
The Plot
Three World War II veterans return home at the end of the war in hopes of restarting their lives where they left off. Sergeant Al Stephenson (Frederick March) comes home to his wife (Myrna Loy) and two children only to find that he feels like a stranger around his own family. Captain Fred Derry (Dana Andrews) returns to his wife (Virginia Mayo) that he married just before shipping out and barely knows. Fred is a decorated Air Forces Captain and bombardier, but is unskilled as a civilian and has difficulties finding and holding a job. Homer Parish (played by nonprofessional actor Harold Russell) lost both hands while in the Navy and struggles with the guilt of burdening his fiance with his disability.
What I like about the film
The Best Years of Our Lives is extremely moving and emotional. It’s message about the hardships war veterans face after returning home is just as relevant today as it was 65 years ago. Harold Russell is one of the highlights of the film and puts in an amazing and genuine performance as Homer despite not being a professional actor. Russell lost both hands while serving as an Army instructor and was discovered by director William Wyler who saw him in a film about rehabilitating war veterans. Russell deservingly won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor and also an honorary Academy Award for his performance and service.
There is one particular scene that has stuck with me in particular. Dana Andrew’s character Fred visits an airfield that has been turned into an aircraft boneyard for hundreds of aircraft. The imagery of the planes waiting to be scrapped and turned into manufactured homes mirrors the fate of the returning servicemen who must reform their own lives. The scene is haunting and sobering, but ends on an uplifting note.
Favorite Fridays: Film Where Errol Flynn Pretends To Act Edition
Lindsay picks: The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex (1939)
Watching Errol Flynn alongside frequent co-stars like Olivia de Havilland and Alan Hale is tolerable. But put Flynn opposite an acting force like Bette Davis and he turns to oatmeal. And not the steel-cut kind, either.
The strength of Davis’ performance makes it all-too-clear who played hooky from acting class a few too many times to go yachting. It’s a great credit to Bette Davis that she was able to pull off a memorable performance while acting opposite feigned emotion and melodrama.
Alix picks: Captain Blood (1935)
I read in an IMDB review for this film something to the effect of “Errol Flynn’s acting is as subtle as a stoplight.” Good thing Captain Blood is an over-the-top, melodramatic, swashbuckling adventure that only requires Flynn to portray about two emotions! The supporting cast also includes Olivia de Havilland as the damsel in distress and British actor Basil Rathbone as a Frenchman with an accent that wouldn’t be out of place in a Monty Python sketch.
