TCM: The Greatest Movie Channel

[Crashcourse]

20 hours ago, Rinaldo said:

That reminds me of the girls sitting behind me at Blazing Saddles when it was new. When Madeline Kahn began her devastating impression of Marlene Dietrich's vocalism in "I'm tired," one of them muttered, "Ew, she doesn't have a very good voice, does she?"

Oh, I loved Madeline Kahn in that movie, and especially in that scene.  I loved her singing that song, because it took a lot of talent to sing that badly on purpose. 

[Rinaldo]

3 hours ago, Crashcourse said:

because it took a lot of talent to sing that badly on purpose. 

That's the general principle, all right, but I've been dismayed on occasion to find that it doesn't always apply. Like, when Candice Bergen sang badly on purpose in Starting Over (and occasionally on Murphy Brown)... that was really the best she could do.

[Charlie Baker]

Anne Baxter was born 100 years ago today.

[voiceover]

Anne Baxter’s birthday is as good a day as any to muse over my favorite of her film roles: Nefretiri in Ten Commandments.

I wasn’t allowed to stay up for the whole thing when I was a kid (and ABC was well into their annual Easter screening), but because I begged, I was able to watch long enough to see Lily Munster onscreen & without makeup for a couple of minutes.  Two years later I made it as far as Sethi’s death.  I cried at that scene, and I have ever since — it’s the best moment in the movie (Red Sea notwithstanding), because Anne and Cedric Hardwicke’s dying Pharaoh make it intimate and real:

Nefretiri: “You won’t die, you old crocodile! you’ll cheat death the way you cheat me at Hounds and Jackals!
Sethi [smiling]: …You have been my joy.
Nefretiri [now she’s weeping]: And you my only love. 
Sethi: Now you’re cheating! [and the Princess knows what’s coming]  I know…I loved him too….With my last breath I’ll break my own law and speak the name of ‘Moses’…”

Christ! even now, I can barely type the exchange without misting over.

(As long as I’m sneaking in a Ten post, I would hardly be me if I left out my favorite line, which was Nina Foch (Bithia)’s threat to Judith Anderson:  “A tongue will dig your grave, Memnet!”  

A “Yaasss Queen!!” moment before the phrase was even invented.)

[StatisticalOutlier]

On 5/1/2023 at 4:10 PM, annzeepark914 said:

Saturday: Crossing Delancy

Crossing Delancey is one of those movies that if I come across it while surfing channels, I'll tune it in in the middle, and always find myself watching it until the end.  I used to think it was just Terms of Endearment I did that with, but then I was watching Crossing Delancey and was glad I was seeing it from the beginning instead of from whenever I happened to tune in.  Same thing with The Goodbye Girl a few weeks ago--I'll always drop in and watch to the end if I run across it. 

And then I got to thinking and I can add to that list Animal House, All the President's Men, and Annie Hall.  I'm usually kind of a stickler about seeing all of a movie, but something about these makes me want to join in at any point, and stay until the end.  Maybe it's the pacing, so that once I'm in there's not a point at which I want to leave? 

[annzeepark914]

Ina Garten said she has parties for which she asks guests to bring a movie that's que'd to their favorite section. I love this! There are a number of movies that I only want to see again for that certain section. I love the opening of Major League with all the misfits showing up (to the chagrin of the manager). Reminds me of the Nationals first season in 2005 😆 (those were crazy times for us fans). And The Goodby Girl, when Richard Dreyfuss haughtily tells Marsha Mason *exactly* how he greets the day (among other instructions, he also meditates "el buffo!") Dreyfuss won the Oscar for his role in this movie--so well deserved!!  

[StatisticalOutlier]

1 hour ago, annzeepark914 said:

And The Goodby Girl, when Richard Dreyfuss haughtily tells Marsha Mason *exactly* how he greets the day (among other instructions, he also meditates "el buffo!")

The part where he says, "And I don't like the panties hanging on the rod" while flicking them down in six beats is perfection.

Or maybe it's five beats, and on "rod" he wads them all together.  Whatever--I could watch that all day long.

[SomeTameGazelle]

I watched Singin' In the Rain all the way through for the first time in a long time when it was on last night. The only thing that would make it better is if the characters acknowledged that the Broadway Melody doesn't fit into the Dancing Cavalier. The joke that R F can't visualize it is fine; I would have laughed harder if he had rejected it (especially since the screened version of the final version really has no link to it) or had at least admitted that it was lunacy but Hollywood being Hollywood they were going to shove it in anyway (in which case I would have liked to see part of it included when they show the premiere).

[Crashcourse]

Last night I watched Picnic, with William Holden and Kim Novak, and I never tire of watching their sexy dance scene. 

 

 

[chediavolo]

Picnic? I don’t get what was so great about it or why the lead character was supposed to be so disliked. I felt sorry for him.  The beginning of the dance on the dock  was cringeworthy.  Did people actually do that? And another negative. Was Kim Novak considered beautiful or sexy because in this movie at least , she couldn’t have looked cheaper.  Not a great face or profile. And William Holden was only 37? Nice bod, but rough looking.  Geez, guess I have issues with the movie & cast. Maybe I’m feeling grumpy.  I recently watched Sullivans Travels again & could not finish it either.  Have to go find a great classic & cleanse myself.  

Edited May 14, 2023 by chediavolo

[EtheltoTillie]

4 hours ago, chediavolo said:

Picnic? I don’t get what was so great about it or why the lead character was supposed to be so disliked. I felt sorry for him.  The beginning of the dance on the dock  was cringeworthy.  Did people actually do that? And another negative. Was Kim Novak considered beautiful or sexy because in this movie at least , she couldn’t have looked cheaper.  Not a great face or profile. And William Holden was only 37? Nice bod, but rough looking.  Geez, guess I have issues with the movie & cast. Maybe I’m feeling grumpy.  I recently watched Sullivans Travels again & could not finish it either.  Have to go find a great classic & cleanse myself.  

Aw, I love Picnic, but in my view it's a sad story.  William Holden was the jester in college, but he lost favor.  There is no happy redemption for this couple once they get to Tulsa.  I believe he will not be able to keep a normal job and they will not last. 

[Suzn]

5 hours ago, chediavolo said:

Picnic? I don’t get what was so great about it or why the lead character was supposed to be so disliked. I felt sorry for him.  The beginning of the dance on the dock  was cringeworthy.  Did people actually do that? And another negative. Was Kim Novak considered beautiful or sexy because in this movie at least , she couldn’t have looked cheaper.  Not a great face or profile. And William Holden was only 37? Nice bod, but rough looking.  Geez, guess I have issues with the movie & cast. Maybe I’m feeling grumpy.  I recently watched Sullivans Travels again & could not finish it either.  Have to go find a great classic & cleanse myself.    

William Holden was a good 15 years too old for the role and looked it.  If we are to consider it a happy ending, I think it misses.  I don't know what kind of future they could have other than poor and rootless.  The heat between them would cool off quick, particularly if you add a couple of kids.  Love does not conquer all.

[EtheltoTillie]

54 minutes ago, Suzn said:

William Holden was a good 15 years too old for the role and looked it.  If we are to consider it a happy ending, I think it misses.  I don't know what kind of future they could have other than poor and rootless.  The heat between them would cool off quick, particularly if you add a couple of kids.  Love does not conquer all.

What age is he supposed to be?  25?   Cliff Robertson was supposed to be the same age; he was only 5 years younger than Holden.  I thought they were supposed to be closer to 30. 

[graybrown bird]

I remember reading someplace that Holden was reluctant to take this part, realizing he was too old for the role.  I agree this is a sad movie, and there is no happy future ahead for this couple.  But I still find this dance sequence mesmerizing!

Rosalind Russell's "old maid" character is so painful to watch.

Edited May 15, 2023 by graybrown bird
Spelling

[Crashcourse]

I think he said at the end that he was going to get a job working at a hotel.  If true, then maybe he really was trying to get his life back on track, so I choose to believe that they stayed together. 

Edited May 14, 2023 by Crashcourse

[Suzn]

9 hours ago, EtheltoTillie said:

What age is he supposed to be?  25?   Cliff Robertson was supposed to be the same age; he was only 5 years younger than Holden.  I thought they were supposed to be closer to 30. 

They talked about college, sounding as if it was recent.

[Suzn]

3 hours ago, graybrown bird said:

Roseland Russell's "old maid" character is so painful to watch.

OMG! Yes, really tragic.

[annzeepark914]

I didn't see Picnic until about 10 years ago. The story was depressing, Holden seemed so old for the role, and Russell's bitter character was shocking. After hearing the beautiful, dreamy theme music for so many years--it was quite a let down for me.

[EtheltoTillie]

TIL that Alan’s father in Picnic was played by Mr. Drysdale of The Beverly Hillbillies!  

Edited May 15, 2023 by EtheltoTillie

[Milburn Stone]

8 hours ago, EtheltoTillie said:

TIL that Alan’s father in Picnic was played by Mr. Drysdale of The Beverly Hillbillies!  

I've seen him in a number of films and shows from the fifties--including Vertigo and double-digits of Alfred Hitchcock Presents episodes--and why I'm so aware of that is that every single time, I exclaim, "Mr Drysdale!" In pretty much all of these he's bald. 

Edited May 15, 2023 by Milburn Stone

[Rinaldo]

12 hours ago, graybrown bird said:

I remember reading someplace that Holden was reluctant to take this part, realizing he was too old for the role.  I agree this is a sad movie, and there is no happy future ahead for this couple. 

The version I read (I too can't recall where) is that Holden realized only after filming began that he was too old. Various compromises were made in the casting and adaptation of William Inge's play, and I don't think the result really works, though it was a commercial success in its time.

Amazingly, a short scene from the original play was performed on the Ed Sullivan and has been preserved. It features Ralph Meeker and Janice Rule, and Eileen Heckart as the schoolteacher (the clip was posted by Heckart's son, Luke Yankee). Despite the artificiality of the situation (performing a scene out of context, for a TV audience) and despite Meeker really not being much younger than Holden (though I think he carries it off better), I find that the sad uncomfortable undercurrents are all there:

There's also a 1986 taping of a stage production, starring Gregory Harrison and Jennifer Jason Leigh, that I think in some (not all) ways works very well.

 

On 5/14/2023 at 6:16 AM, chediavolo said:

I recently watched Sullivans Travels again & could not finish it either.

Here I'm in agreement. I adore a great deal of Preston Sturges's work but not Sullivan's Travels. It's one of the surprisingly large genre of movies that aim to tell me "there's honor and value in giving the world frivolous things, like comedies." And my grumpy attitude is always "I knew that coming in, it's obvious. You would have spent your time and my time better by making something that was actually entertaining, and skip the banal didactic lessons."

[Milburn Stone]

On 5/13/2023 at 12:58 PM, Crashcourse said:

Last night I watched Picnic, with William Holden and Kim Novak, and I never tire of watching their sexy dance scene. 

Thank you for posting this clip, @Crashcourse. It's amazing. I've tried to watch Picnic, but for some reason cannot get past the first ten minutes of it. I didn't know it had delights like this scene in store. (Including Arthur O'Connell's delivery of the clip's final line).

And thank you also, @Rinaldo, for the clips of Inge's play.

Edited May 15, 2023 by Milburn Stone

[EtheltoTillie]

3 hours ago, Milburn Stone said:

I've seen him in a number of films and shows from the fifties--including Vertigo and double-digits of Alfred Hitchcock Presents episodes--and why I'm so aware of that is that every single time, I exclaim, "Mr Drysdale!" In pretty much all of these he's bald. 

I've seen Picnic many times, but I never realized it, because he's bald.  I watched it again last night since we were discussing it here, and I finally looked up the cast. 

[EtheltoTillie]

Thanks for posting those clips.  I find myself in that position where I am so used to the movie version I can't see any other versions except as inferior.  The movie benefits from opening up from the backyard set.  On watching last night I really enjoyed those crowd scenes from the Labor Day picnic.  I was reminded that young Phyllis Newman had a tiny role dancing with Boomer.

Kim Novak was kind of stiff, but I love William Holden ("I kissed Bill Holden!" TM Lucille Ball), so I don't care that he's too old for the role.  Susan Strasberg was excellent.  No one could beat Arthur O'Connell for that role.  Paul Newman would probably have been good in the Hal role. I think he played the Alan role on Broadway. 

Ralph Meeker was so loosy goosy--interesting choice. 

Dana Hill (RIP) was too young.  Rue McLanahan was a good choice for the mother.  Gregory Harrison and Jennifer Jason Leigh--okay enough.  Didn't convey much pathos for me.  Michael Learned was too much Ma Walton -- Roz Russell so much better.   The guy playing Alan was an unknown.
 

[Sarah 103]

I watched Picnic as part of a film class in college. What I remember was all of the ways they found to have William Holden shirtless, and at one point the shirt seems to spontanelously rip for no apparent reason. 

[Milburn Stone]

[Tangent] Sometimes I look up top at the "Following" stat on the topics and forums I go to. Most often I'm shocked by how few people follow the stuff I follow. The TCM topic, though, has 67 followers! (Woo hoo!) That puts it probably in my top 3. 😊

[EtheltoTillie]

4 hours ago, Sarah 103 said:

I watched Picnic as part of a film class in college. What I remember was all of the ways they found to have William Holden shirtless, and at one point the shirt seems to spontanelously rip for no apparent reason. 

Yeah, the breakaway shirt was key in that one scene, as Roz Russell pull at it.  Gregory Harrison was shirtless even more in that Showtime version.  And they had the exact same breakaway shirt scene with Ms. Syndney, so I guess that's all from the original play. 

[Rinaldo]

We can see a glimpse of Eileen Heckart as Rosemary Sydney in the live performance on Ed Sullivan, the role which went to Rosalind Russell in the movie (at which she was naturally disappointed, but of course RR was a star and she wasn't). But decades later, Heckart won a Supporting Actress Oscar for Butterflies Are Free, and when she was making the rounds at the after-party, she encountered Russell, who had been given the Humanitarian Award that evening. As Luke Yankee tells the story in his book about his mother Eileen Heckart:

Quote

[Ms. Russell] was in a wheelchair and extremely frail. Mama waited in line to pay her respects.  The minute Russell saw my mother, she reached for her with outstretched arms and took her face in her hands.  As she cradled my mother’s face, she said, “Oh, if I’d let you play your Picnic, you’d have had your Oscar years ago.”

 

[StatisticalOutlier]

Who is writing the movie descriptions for the DirecTV on-screen guide?  Tomorrow there's a 1970 movie called Spring and Port Wine:  "A British millworker orders his teenage daughter to eat herring, and she stubbornly refuses."

It sounds like it's a kitchen sink drama, and I generally like those.  And if it is a kitchen sink drama, I have no problem believing that the father will order his daughter to eat herring, and that she will refuse.  But to have that as the entire synopsis?

[Rinaldo]

I've seen Spring and Port Wine (decades ago, and I also read William Goldman's chapter about its source play in The Season), and that's actually an excellent synopsis, of the type that describes the setup and the inciting incident, leaving later details to the actual viewing. The herring business is actually a major element that extends through the whole story, which says something about the kind of narrative it is.

It's one of those very mild English comedy-dramas (in this case about generational conflict within a family whose adult children are still living with their parents) that really don't export well. I'm a pretty dedicated Anglophile, and it was too rarefied and plotless (and, on a mundane level, unbelievable) even for me. I'm sure I missed all kinds of minute social and regional cues that a UK viewer would understand. But of course other viewers will have different reactions, and should decide for themselves.

Edited May 16, 2023 by Rinaldo

[EtheltoTillie]

Well I will have to watch this one!  It stars James Mason!  I have a UK born friend I can consult. 

[chessiegal]

Last night we were watching TCM, and Sweet Smell of Success came on. We decided to watch it. At the end, we looked at each other and said - now there's a movie we'll never have to watch again. Happens every now and again. 😀

[EtheltoTillie]

Did anyone know there's a 1964 Western remake of Rashomon called The Outrage, starring Paul Newman and Edward G. Robinson and Laurence Harvey and Claire Bloom and WILLIAM SHATNER?  No, neither did I, until last night.  I recorded it but don't know if I can sit through it.   Newman plays someone with an SNL-type of Spanish accent.  ("say hello to my little friend." )  This trailer is a hoot, complete with dramatic horn fanfares. I used to love seeing trailers like this in the theaters. 

https://www.imdb.com/video/vi2768682777/?ref_=tt_vi_i_1

 

 

Edited May 16, 2023 by EtheltoTillie

[Rinaldo]

3 hours ago, chessiegal said:

Last night we were watching TCM, and Sweet Smell of Success came on. We decided to watch it. At the end, we looked at each other and said - now there's a movie we'll never have to watch again. ...

You mean, because it's so enthralling, it's permanently burned into memory? 😉 I love this movie, and even though I own the Criterion DVD, I'll watch it any time TCM shows it. There isn't another quite like it, and it must have seemed especially startling on first release, with Burt Lancaster and Tony Curtis revealing new sides of their skills. I still smile to recall the character in Diner who spoke only in quotations from Sweet Smell of Success.

9 minutes ago, EtheltoTillie said:

Did anyone know there's a 1964 Western remake of Rashomon called The Outrage, starring Paul Newman and Edward G. Robinson and Laurence Harvey and Claire Bloom and WILLIAM SHATNER? 

Yep (OK, I admit I didn't know about William Shatner; he wasn't a big name at the time it was made). It got lots of publicity on first release, and I heard about it before I knew much, if anything, about Rashomon. But I was young and foolish then.

[EtheltoTillie]

I'm with you, @Rinaldo.  I love Sweet Smell of Success.  It reminds me of old New York.  I had to deal with press agents when I worked in publishing.  What a breed. 

 

William Shatner hadn't done Star Trek yet, but he'd done those iconic Twilight Zone episodes already, like "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet."

[EtheltoTillie]

Well, IMDB took me down a Laurence Harvey rabbit hole.  I give you Expresso Bongo (1959), starring Harvey and a British Elvis wannbe.  I think I'll stick with Room at the Top and The Manchurian Candidate. 

https://www.imdb.com/video/vi2576129049/?ref_=vp_rv_ap_0

[Rinaldo]

55 minutes ago, EtheltoTillie said:

... a Laurence Harvey rabbit hole. ...

Don't overlook his Romeo and Juliet, which seems to be forgotten (I'm pretty sure TCM has never scheduled it). 

Maybe it looks a bit staid now that we've had Zeffirelli et al, but it has its merits. Besides Harvey (who had in fact played the role at Stratford), Melvyn Johns as Friar Laurence, Flora Robson as the nurse, Sebastian Cabot as Capulet, Bill Travers as Benvolio, and John Gielgud as Chorus. Unfortunately the Juliet, an amateur picked for her look, is a nonentity, but the costumes are sumptuously modeled on paintings of the period. I love to compare different interpretations of plays, Shakespeare definitely included, on film, so I wanted to mention it.

[Rinaldo]

2 hours ago, Rinaldo said:

Don't overlook his Romeo and Juliet, which seems to be forgotten (I'm pretty sure TCM has never scheduled it). 

Maybe it looks a bit staid now that we've had Zeffirelli et al, but it has its merits. Besides Harvey (who had in fact played the role at Stratford), it has Melvyn Johns as Friar Laurence, Flora Robson as the nurse, Sebastian Cabot as Capulet, Bill Travers as Benvolio, and John Gielgud as Chorus. Unfortunately the Juliet, an amateur picked for her look, is a nonentity, but the costumes are sumptuously modeled on paintings of the period, and the Italian locations are fun. I love to compare different filmed interpretations of plays, Shakespeare definitely included, on film, so I wanted to mention it.

 

[wilsie]

I loved Laurence Harvey in just about anything.  I liked Summer and Smoke a lot.  So many good performances especially Geraldine Page.

[voiceover]

Recommended: tonight’s Tequila Sunrise.  It’s a tidy, smart little crime thriller (Robert Towne wrote & directed) with a sexy, great-looking cast: Mel Gibson, Michelle Pfeiffer, Kurt Russell…and Raul Julia in a scene-stealing, scenery-chewing, *glorious supporting role. Made me miss him all over again.

One of the men gets the girl.  The other gets that terrific last line (“I bet they’re talking about me right now!”).

[Milburn Stone]

Really like Laurence Harvey in Manchurian Candidate, but...I don't know, in so many movies I've seen him in, he just seems dead inside. That was perfect for Manchurian, but not so much in general. Probably a minority opinion.

[Charlie Baker]

The Outrage is very uneven, no comparison to Rashomon. I love Paul Newman, but while he does have his moments, he also is pretty ludicrously cast.  But the movie is well made, beautifully photographed, and Edward G. Robinson is excellent.

Yes, that Tequila Sunrise cast was striking, all right.  And Raul Julia--if anyone's interested, that fairly recent PBS documentary on him (American Masters?) is worth checking out, for a comprehensive look at his remarkable range and presence. Gone too soon.

Sweet Smell of Success is a cookie filled with arsenic. So cynical, so slick, so stylish. Can't resist it.

Laurence Harvey did excel at playing dead inside, h/t @Milburn Stone,  I'm intrigued to see him as Romeo.

[EtheltoTillie]

16 hours ago, wilsie said:

I loved Laurence Harvey in just about anything.  I liked Summer and Smoke a lot.  So many good performances especially Geraldine Page.

I tried watching this yesterday before you even posted about it.  I find it too mannered.  I have to watch more to see if I will change my mind. 

[wilsie]

2 minutes ago, EtheltoTillie said:

I tried watching this yesterday before you even posted about it.  I find it too mannered.  I have to watch more to see if I will change my mind. 

Sometimes when I watched something earlier in my life and for some reason enjoyed it, that feeling will stay with me.  I watched this a long time ago and I can understand anyone not liking it.  Tennessee Williams wrote some really tragic stories and this is one of them. 

[EtheltoTillie]

So here are my preliminary thoughts on that herring movie, otherwise known as Spring and Port Wine.  I only managed to watch half so far. 

Interesting curiosity.  James Mason does not seem working class enough.  I recognize elements of their lives in the working class Irish families we knew in Queens NY when I was growing up, a few years before the film, but the Americans were probably better off economically.  The people I knew were union electricians (we lived in a housing complex for the union). 

Most striking was the absolutely deafening roar of the machinery in the first scene, and I think they had no ear protection.  What a life.  Even in Norma Rae they had adopted ear protection, only a few years later. 

The movie was filmed in Bolton, a Manchester suburb.  I've been to Manchester and Liverpool a couple of times for my husband's business trips.  These textile mills are long gone.  In 2017 we visited the Manchester science and industry museum, which has a remarkable exhibit on the textile plants.  It was one of the most sobering things we have ever seen.  Children deployed to scurry under the machines to pick up scraps as they swept back and forth; cotton lung, tongue injuries from licking the pointy spindles, shortened life spans.  That's just a few things. 

 

[EtheltoTillie]

Oh, yeah, and renting your "telly" is a uniquely British concept. 

The financial maneuvering, borrowing from Peter to pay Paul, was well executed.  Mrs. James Mason had no money to lend to her neighbor to pay neighbor's TV bill, but then when neighbor called her a bad friend, she borrowed the money from her son to get back in neighbor's good graces.

James Mason spent 40 pounds on a bespoke top coat--wife had no new coat.  Can't wait to watch the rest. 

PS -- I like herring!  I wished I had some while watching. 

Watching neighbor and her husband eat.  He was a slob shoving food in his mouth with his hands.  Their daughter "put money down" on a new wig. 

4 hours ago, Milburn Stone said:

Really like Laurence Harvey in Manchurian Candidate, but...I don't know, in so many movies I've seen him in, he just seems dead inside. That was perfect for Manchurian, but not so much in general. Probably a minority opinion.

He also seemed dead in side in Room at the Top.  Another bleak story. 

Edited May 17, 2023 by EtheltoTillie

[Rinaldo]

5 hours ago, Charlie Baker said:

Yes, that Tequila Sunrise cast was striking, all right.

You know, I've never seen it. I really should. At the very least, that's a highly decorative cast, and a Robert Towne script adds additional flavoring. I wonder if they put it On Demand.*

Another Laurence Harvey title I'd like to re-encounter is the 1964 Of Human Bondage that he did with Kim Novak. We read the Maugham novel in high school, and then watched part of the Bette Davis / Leslie Howard movie, which looked unconvincing to my eye. When Novak/Harvey aired on TV a bit later, that worked vastly better for me. But all that was half a century ago, and I'd like to re-check my reactions. I think I was unused to older acting sensibilities, and I also probably was too immature to really be awake to all the neurotic and sexual undercurrents of the story. Time for a reality check.

(*They did!)

Edited May 17, 2023 by Rinaldo

[voiceover]

6 hours ago, Charlie Baker said:

And Raul Julia--if anyone's interested, that fairly recent PBS documentary on him (American Masters?) is worth checking out, for a comprehensive look at his remarkable range and presence. Gone too soon.

He bursts into a drunken rendition of “Santa Lucia” at one point, and I’m always genuinely torn on whether I should laugh or applaud.

[Crashcourse]

I'm watching The Rose Tattoo right now, and while it won a few Academy Awards, including Best Actress for Anna Magnani, I didn't think it was that good.  Plus, she was just too much with her overacting.   And Burt Lancaster was not at all convincing as a Sicilian.

[StatisticalOutlier]

On 5/15/2023 at 11:51 PM, Rinaldo said:

I've seen Spring and Port Wine (decades ago, and I also read William Goldman's chapter about its source play in The Season), and that's actually an excellent synopsis, of the type that describes the setup and the inciting incident, leaving later details to the actual viewing.

It sounds to me like something a bot might write after being fed the script. 

I felt I should watch the movie because I brought it up in the first place, and as I said I generally enjoy kitchen sink dramas.  But this one did nothing for me.

I've never particularly liked James Mason, and the mustache he had in this didn't help.  Alicia Malone said he got to use his "natural" accent, and that may be so, but I didn't notice because that softness to his voice (or whatever attribute it is) always gives me the creeps, plus he just seemed really wrong for his character.  And his character--he was a brute for all those years and then on a dime turned into a loving, and adored, father?  Not buying it.

I did enjoy the exterior shots, and I'm always fascinated watching these big families live in those tiny front rooms, always closing the door as they go in and out.  I'm always thinking, "Leave the door open, get some air in there!"  This one was no exception, so it did accomplish causing certain emotions in me.

Even the happy ending--I always appreciate (but never demand) a happy ending, but movies like this aren't supposed to have happy endings, so it missed on that point, too.