Vintage Film

hello hugh!

I hope I'm like this when I'm 80...oh yes.

film friday

This week's Film Friday, is not one, but two movies.  I feel that these films are so integral to each other that they belong together as one film.  You cannot have one without the other, and the emotional impact of the finale of part two would not be possible without seeing the story play out in part one.

For those of you who have never had the pleasure of watching Jean de Florette and Manon des Sources, I implore you to seek out these films immediately.  Don't read too much about either film in advance as you'll be sure to read some pretty big plot spoilers.

Jean de Florette tells the story of Papet and his nephew, Ugolin, who, blinded by visions of greed and fortune, covet their neighbour's land for its fine soil and water spring.  When their neighbour dies, they see their opportunity to buy their way in, but are dismayed to find that a hunchback, Jean, has inherited the farm & has decided to leave the city to make way for a life of farming with his wife and young daughter.  Papet and Ugolin block up the spring in an effort to ruin his crops and allow them to buy up the land, but their actions leave them bloodguilty as Jean struggles to save his crops against the odds.   Manon des Sources continues the story a few years later & shows the devastating consequences of greed and selfishness.

That's it.  No more spoilers.  You'll have to discover it for yourself.

film friday

Thought it was about time Film Friday was resurrected.  I'm determined to get into the swing of things properly, and find a great film to recommend every Friday.  It's fun for me and maybe you'll discover a new favourite.

I'm a big Woody Allen fan, so this week's selection is one of his best, Annie Hall.  I first saw this when I worked in the projection booth at my local cinema.  We had it in for a one-off Wednesday Special, and as every film has to be "previewed" before the public can see it, [and as none of my co-workers fancied the job], I stepped up.  Clipboard in hand & an extra large cappuccino [it was 1am], I settled back in my comfy multiplex chair and gave the thumbs up to projection.  Cameras roll, cue the following, fantastic opening to one of my top films ever...enjoy:

great balls of fire

one of my heroines when growing up was the beautiful and feisty Miss Scarlett O'Hara (and my first crush was definitely Clark Gable in all his southern glory - no pun intended).  i think Vivien Leigh is one of the most delicately beautiful women of all time who just epitomises that glamourous era.  my love of Gone with the Wind led me to another favourite, Waterloo Bridge, which i recommend wholeheartedly.

i discovered this little gem on youtube about a year ago and it's filled with precious clips of Vivien in her personal life with Laurence Olivier, as well as several of her best on-screen roles.  The wonderful soundtrack lends a certain poignancy to this montage of a beautiful, talented, wonderful woman, whose life was overshadowed by constant bouts of mania and depression due to bipolar disorder. at least through the wonders of cinema, we can keep her beauty alive.

enjoy.

firm film favourites

What was the last film you watched? The Hudsucker Proxy.

Name your top five films. Only five, mind.  Oh, so tricky. In no particular order, I'd have to say...Gone with the Wind, 12 Angry Men, It's a Wonderful Life, Annie Hall and, um, The Apartment (+ many, many more!).

Name your top actor. At the moment I am loving James McAvoy, but my timeless favourite has to be Butch Cassidy himself; Paul Newman. 

Top actress? I love Shirley Maclaine and Diane Keaton.  Both so gorgeous and such incredible actresses.

Most over-rated film?  The Untouchables.  I just don't see what all the fuss is about. Cheesy and overblown.

Childhood favourites?  Back to the Future, GWTW, National Velvet & Crocodile Dundee.  "That's not a knife...That's a knife!"

Favourite film score?  Easy, Gone with the Wind.

One Two films you could watch over and over again?  Annie Hall or Gosford Park.  And I do, very frequently.

Favourite Hitchcock?  Rebecca. Laurence Olivier is worth fearing Mrs Danvers for any day.

Classic Q...Who would play you in a film?  Hmm...Natalie Portman (I wish!) or Diane Keaton.  It would be a very slow-moving film I think.

What about you?

atonement

                                 

So, Atonement last night.  There I was, best seats in the house booked, glasses at the ready.  As I settled back into my seat I felt a delicious sense of anticipation I rarely get anymore at the cinema. 

I suppose the problem with watching the film adaptation of a book you love so much, is that the movie will never live up to your expectations.  However fantastic the direction, however lush the cinematography, however well acted, they can never cram all those little nuances and sub-plots into a satisfactory two hour piece of cinema.  But I never expect this with film - after all, it's not a book, it doesn't have time on its hands; it's a totally different medium with different requirements.

I had repeated this to myself before the film and this definitely helped the viewing experience.  I didn't expect too much and was pleasantly surprised.  The direction is fantastic and Joe Wright should be suitably satisfied with this, only his second feature film.  The 5 minute tracking shot through the chaos of Dunkirk beach is thrilling to watch, and the passing of time from 1935 to the Forties through to present day is brilliantly depicted. 

James McAvoy is perfect in the part of Robbie, but of course he would be.  In my opinion he is the best actor of his generation and we will be seeing much more of him {I hope}.  The supporting cast was fine, most notably Sairose Ronan, who delivers a masterly performance as the younger Briony.  Even KK is not as dreadful as I'd feared, although I still think Romola Garai (who played the teen Briony) would have suited the role far better.  After all, Cecilia is not supposed to be delicately beautiful, as KK is, but rather she is described as being slightly "horsey" in appearance, but with a beauty of her own as far as Robbie can see.  Although I would love to, I can't quite see anything naggish about Keira Knightley.

The film as a whole is excellent, the ending fantastic.  I can't divulge too much because it will spoil the plot, but suffice to say that when you reach the ending of the book, all your emotions will have been spent.

I definitely recommend the film, but implore you to read the novel first.  Although it starts rather slowly, you begin to understand that McEwan is building a momentum that will demonstrate the devastating result of cause and effect.  Persevere. As you pass the first third of the book, you are hooked and cannot put it down; so much so that when you bump into rather angry people in the street, you hardly look up from the page to apologise.  You just might miss something.

film friday

It's been such a long time since I did a Film Friday that I thought today's the day.  Watching all the programmes on telly last night about the late, great maestro Pavarotti got me thinking about opera - Obviously Nessun Dorma is absolutely hair-on-the-back-of-your-neck amazing, as is Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman's version of Time to Say Goodbye.  But my favourite has to be O Mio Babbino Caro, an aria from Puccini's Gianni Schicci.  I first heard it as a child watching A Room with a View, one of my favourite films and the subject of this post.  The film is littered with Puccini, from the scenes in Florence to the stilted repression of Edwardian England, and it's simply glorious to listen to.

For those of you not aware of the film, a brief synopsis:  Lucy Honeychurch (Helena Bonham Carter) is on holiday in Florence, Italy, with her spinster aunt, Charlotte (played by wonderful Dame Maggie Smith).  Whilst there, Lucy gets involved in a love affair with the slightly odd but interesting George Emerson (Julian Sands); Well, just a passionate snog in a poppy field really, but in Edwardian society that is a very big deal.  She returns to her home life of playing piano and tight corsets, and becomes engaged to scholarly [read:dull] Cecil Vyse (an incredible performance by D. Day-Lewis).  Then George happens to move into the neighbourhood and she has to decide if her future lies in passion and poetry, or sermons and stuffy boredom.

It really is a great film and the performances equally so.  Julian Sands is rather wooden, but it sort of suits the awkwardness and fussy ways of Edwardian society.  Dan Day-Lewis proves his worth with what should have been an Oscar-winning role, and which stands out amongst an all-star cast that includes Simon Callow, Dame Judi Dench and Denholm Elliott.

It also features a scene where three men (including the vicar) go "for a bathe" in a lake, only to be happened upon by some unsuspecting and shocked ladies.  Let's just say that for a 7 year old girl, it's not a scene you forget easily...

On a separate note, am very excited about tonight.  Have booked tickets to see Atonement which I am just finishing re-reading for the 2nd time.  I've looked forward to the film for so long & have heard reviews have been raving, although I refuse to read any until after I've seen it myself.  First read the book in 2003 and thought it was very good, but reading it a second time has firmly established it as one of my favourite novels.  The way Ian McEwan writes is so enjoyable, lots of descriptive prose which never gets dull or tedious.  I'm also very happy that my favourite man, James McAvoy, is playing the role of Robbie, although what were they thinking about when they cast Keira Knightley as Cecilia???  I've heard she's meant to be good (well they style her very well as this stunning couture gown shows), but I'm a fan of neither her acting nor her ridiculous pout which she pulls each time a photographer is near.  She's even said in an interview that she plays it differently to the book - not happy.  Romola Garai plays a small part who I think is a fantastic actress & who would have been a much better Cecilia.  But before I run away with myself and my ravings, I had better watch the film.  I like the director, Joe Wright, who made Pride & Prejudice (albeit with half the story), but as for KK playing the part of Eliza Bennett....Well, I'll save that rant for another post.

I would definitely recommend the book to anyone who hasn't read it.  If you find a lot of prose quite difficult, please persevere and you will not be disappointed.  Many have said that it starts slowly, but it builds the story and the tension just grows and grows until you cannot put it down.   I have 20 pages left which I will devour in my lunch break - then the difficulty of finding the next good book to read.  It'll never match that.

woody and hitch

Bad girl, Jodie.  Bought some new DVDs today...

It Happened One Night
All About Eve
Marnie
Saboteur
Torn Curtain
The Man Who Knew Too Much
Mr & Mrs Smith (Hitchcock)
Ealing Boxset Vol. 1 (with Kind Hearts & Coronets, my favourite)
Night of the Hunter
Interiors
Everyone Say I Love You
The Purple Rose of Cairo
Everything You Always Wanted to Know About...
Husbands and Wives
Crimes and Misdemeanors
Radio Days
Manhattan Murder Mystery
Bananas
Broadway Danny Rose
Zelig
Elf
Orphee
Magnolia
A Streetcar Named Desire
The Ten Commandments
Blood Simple
The Hudsucker Proxy
Me and You and Everyone We Know
The Lost Weekend
In the Heat of the Night
McCabe & Mrs Miller
Charlie Chaplin: The Kid
Charlie Chaplin: The Great Dictator

Any favourites there?  A lot of the Woody Allens I've never seen, but considering he's one of my favourite directors, I figured I couldn't go too far wrong.  We are well on our way to reaching the 700 mark. You do not want to know my bank balance;  Tesco Value foods for us until April, that's for sure.

Seeing Arcade Fire tomorrow night, supported by Mr Patrick Wolf.  I am so excited.  I will be sure to post a gushing review after I see them again on Saturday night...

film friday

Classic "rockumentary" following British metal band, Spinal Tap, as they attempt a comeback tour of the States. Marty DiBergi captures the sex, the drugs and the lack of rock'n'roll as the band encounter cancelled gigs, interfering girlfriends, and miniature set designs of Stonehenge. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the genius of This is Spinal Tap (1984).

Ok, I'm not going to mince my words with this one. I'm going to let the quotes do the talking...

(reading a review of Spinal Tap's latest album)
Marty DiBergi: "This pretentious, ponderous collection of religious rock psalms is enough to prompt the question, 'What day did the Lord create Spinal Tap, and couldn't he have rested on that day too?'"

Derek Smalls: We're very lucky in the band that we have two visionaries, David and Nigel. They're like poets, like Shelley and Byron. They're two distinct visionaries, like fire and ice, basically. I feel my role in the band is to be somewhere in the middle of that, kind of like lukewarm water.

(Derek Smalls sets off a metal detector at the airport)
Security Officer: Do you have any artificial plates or limbs?
Derek Smalls: Er, not really.

Ian Faith: They're not gonna release the album...because they have decided that the cover is sexist.
Nigel Tufnel: Well, what's wrong with being sexy?

Ian Faith: The Boston gig has been cancelled...
David St. Hubbins: What?
Ian Faith: Yeah. I wouldn't worry about it though, it's not a big college town.

This is one of my favourite comedies ever. It's one of those films which gets better every time you watch it as you hear/see things you missed on previous viewings. By the makers of A Mighty Wind, Best in Show and Waiting for Guffman (all superb), this is them at their comic best. You can tell that they have been influenced by The Last Waltz (the Martin Scorsese character has been transformed into Marty DiBergi) and the cast is filled with such a great supporting cast. Considering many of the lines were ad-libbed and improvised, this is testament to the genius of Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, Harry Shearer and Rob Reiner.

This is real comedy and I urge you to see it. Not a toilet gag in sight. Well, maybe just a couple...

film friday

Film Friday this week is a little different.  Choosing just one classic film to discuss is too difficult for me today, and so I will change direction a little and just talk about...film.  Now, I am a huge fan of the movies. 

I love watching film :: talking film :: buying film :: reading film :: debating film :: discovering film.

The first film I truly loved was Gone with the Wind.  I quickly became transfixed by the glorious colours, the sweeping music, the beauty of Vivien Leigh and the charms of Clark Gable.  Spending four hours of my Saturday afternoon in front of the box was what I loved best and nothing could tempt me away.  From there I discovered the musicals of the forties and fifties and my love of the medium was firmly entrenched.  Whilst my friends devoted hours and hours to Barbie and Ken, I had Fred and Ginger. 

I could ramble aimlessly for hours about film(s) and so I need to exercise caution with my keyboard.  In fact, there are so many thoughts in my head that I'm finding it hard putting anything into words (as you may have noticed from my stilted typing) and so I think brevity is the key here today.

I'll leave you with a list of some of my favourites, and if you've never had the pleasure to discover any of them, please do.  Click on the title and follow the link to IMDB to read up on each one.  If you can, take the time to see one this weekend and I promise you won't be disappointed (Janice, now you have one to pick from!)...

When I'm down, I stick on....It's a Wonderful Life (1946).

Two of my favourite films from childhood....Jean de Florette and Manon des Sources (1986) (you must see both back-to-back and try not to read much about them in case of plot spoilers which will seriously affect your enjoyment of the films!)

My favourite Woody Allens...Annie Hall (1977), Manhattan (1979), Sleeper (1973) and Play It Again Sam (1972).

Henry Fonda as you've never seen him...Once Upon a Time in the West (1968).

I never get bored of watching...This is Spinal Tap (1984).

Most recent favourite film which has an incredible ensemble cast...Gosford Park (2001).

And today I watched The Odd Couple (1968) and Hidden (2005).  The Odd Couple has definitely become one of my favourites ~ how can you beat Lemmon and Mattheau ~ and Hidden was fascinating.  Both recommended.

Please let me know some of your favourite movies.  I love hearing points of view on film.