TCM
TiVo ALERT
For
November
1-November 7
DAVID’S
BEST BETS:
WATERLOO
BRIDGE (November 5, 9:30 am): While the 1940 version
of this film is a bit overproduced – MGM, of course –
it's still wonderful with outstanding performances given by the
leads, Vivien Leigh (her first film after Gone With the Wind)
and Robert Taylor. It's the start of World War II and Taylor is a
British Army captain while Leigh is a ballerina. It's love at first
sight, but things don't work out so easily with the Nazis trying to
blow up England. The two are to be married, but Taylor is called to
duty and it only gets worse. Leigh loses her job at the ballet and in
order to survive she becomes a prostitute. All hope is lost with
Leigh convinced Taylor died in the war after reading his name in the
list of those killed in battle. It shows you can't believe everything
you read. Some are critical of the ending, but with the Hays Code in
play, there wasn't much else to be done. It's still an excellent
film.
THE
KILLERS (November 6, 8:00 pm): This 1946 film noir is
a must-see and a vital part of cinematic history. It's Burt
Lancaster's big-screen debut and he's fantastic, particularly his
scenes with femme fatale Ava Gardner. It's also the first time
William Conrad – yeah, the guy from TV shows Cannon,
and Jake and the Fat Man, and more importantly, the
narrator of Rocky and Bullwinkle and Friends – got
his screen credit in a film. The first 20 minutes of the film is
based on an Ernest Hemingway short story. The screenplay is
wonderfully written by John Huston and Richard Brooks, both
uncredited, with great cinematography and brilliant acting
performances. Lancaster was an incredible film actor, and the great
performances he gave on screen started with his role in this movie.
ED’S
BEST BETS:
HIS
GIRL FRIDAY (November 1, 10:00 pm): It was at least
10 years since the original Front Page, and by the
Hollywood clock – time for a remake. But the genius of Howard Hawks
was in the casting. Instead of going with another two males in the
roles of editor Walter Burns and reporter Hildy Johnson, Hawks
thought to make reporter Hildy a woman, formerly married to Burns,
and about to leave the paper to remarry. It was pure inspiration, and
in my opinion, made the film even funnier. Decorated with all the
touches Hawks was famous for, including the overlapping dialogue, it
still holds up today and is funnier than ever. Part of the brilliance
in the remake was the casting of Cary Grant, a superb comic actor, as
Walter Burns. But it was in the part of Hildy Johnson that Hawks
struck gold. Jean Arthur, Hawks’ first choice, turned down the
role, as did Carole Lombard, Ginger Rogers, Katharine Hepburn,
Claudette Colbert, and Irene Dunne. Columbia studio head managed to
borrow Rosalind Russell. She wasn’t thrilled at being assigned to
the film and Hawks wasn’t exactly thrilled about having to “settle”
for her. But once they got rolling, she turned out to be Hawks’
best move, as she’s perfect in the part: gorgeous, intelligent,
sassy, and one step ahead – or so she thinks – of her ex-husband,
Burns. It’s not only a movie to watch, but also one for cinephiles
to own.
OLD
ACQUAINTANCE (November 4, 8:15 am): Imagine, Bette
Davis in a ”women’s picture” wonderfully acted and
intelligently written where she plays the nice woman. And more to the
point – no soap of the type we find in That Certain
Woman, Dark Victory, The Old Maid,
and Now Voyager. Yes, Bette, it can be done. This is the
story of best friends. Kit Marlowe (Davis) is a single author of high
literary novels. Her friend Millie Drake (Miriam Hopkins), who is
married, takes her advice to write and becomes even more famous and
financially successful than Kit, though the secret to her success is
that she writes trashy novels. Take it from there, fasten your seat
belts, and go along for a joyous ride with Bette and Miriam, two
women that really hated each other in real life. There is no such
thing as disappointment with this movie.
WE
DISAGREE ON ... PICNIC AT HANGING ROCK (November
4, 10:15 pm)
ED:
A-. The beauty in this groundbreaking film lies in
the enigma in the center of what at first seems to be a simple plot:
A group of students at an upper crust Victorian-era girls’ school
take a field trip to Hanging Rock, which is miles away from
civilization. During the course of the trip three of the girls and
one of the teachers goes missing. What happened? We’re never told.
We are told about the purported history of the site; we get the sense
that something is not quite right, but we never find out just what it
is. Instead, we are left with a sense of impending dread communicated
to us by the students themselves. It’s well acted, beautifully
written, tightly directed and immaculately filmed in rural Australia.
DAVID:
C+. This is a decent film, but nothing special.
The cinematography is the best part. The plot has promise, but fails
to deliver. A group of school girls have a picnic at Hanging Rock;
hmm, that might explain the title. A teacher and three girls
mysteriously disappear in what could be a dreamlike trance from being
out in the sun too long. One of the girls returns, not knowing how
she went missing or what happened to the others. There's no reason
given, and the plot and acting aren't strong enough to make up for
the contrived mystery at the center of the film. What's odd is there
are portions in which there isn't enough plot, such as any hint of an
explanation for those missing, and too much plot, such as the parts
featuring an orphan girl who is treated poorly throughout the film.
Also, is this film about sexual repression, sexual awakening, or have
anything to do with sex? It's hard to tell because it seems so
lacking in direction at times. And the pacing at the end of the film
is too slow.
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