Saturday, November 11, 2006
The Man Who Would Be King
- Who's watched: M & G
- Mentions: None
- Commentary: I didn't know about this movie version of Rudyard Kipling's story (which I read some time in late high school, I think, in a collection of short stories, and remained haunted by it) until te late 1970's when the sister of a good friend of mine told me of the movie, extolled it's virtues, told me it was her "favorite", that it was showing on television that night and persuaded me to watch it. I was enchanted. Not only did the half remembered story come back to me in full, the movie overshadowed the story, for me, so well is it done. It is a movie I've never forgotten. A few years after I came to live with Mom and we began renting movies, I scoured several video stores before I found it. Mom loved it, too. I've rented it since, a couple of times, so I was thrilled when I ran across a copy of it. I was determined to buy it, cheap or not, as long as it was letter-boxed, which it was.
The presentation is sparkling, but, being a very cheap version, the movie is cut in two; half on one side of the DVD, half on the other. This surprised us wen we watched it this afternoon. "I don't remember it having an intermission," I said.
"I couldn't tell you," responded Mom, "I don't believe I've ever seen this movie."
Good. I can get away with watching it a few more times before she becomes suspicious!
For the curious and uninformed, while looking for links about the movie I came across the original short story here.
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Sean Connery Daniel Dravot Michael Caine Peachy Carnehan Christopher Plummer Rudyard Kipling Saeed Jaffrey Billy Fish Shakira Caine Roxanne Doghmi Larbi Ootah Jack May District Commissioner Karroom Ben Bouih Kafu Salim
Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
Release Date: 1975
Directed by John Huston.
Labels: adventure3, christopher-plummer, drama8, haunting2, michael-caine, period4, popcorn-and-soda3, shared-favorite
I, Claudius
- Who's watched: M & G
- Mentions: *1* *2*
- Commentary: My mother and I discovered this separately, together, many years ago when it first came out. I think we weren't even in the same state, but were in close touch and both of us mentioned it. Unfortunately, this version has no CC, and, whereas Mom had trouble with British accents at the time, now they wreak havoc upon her ears. But she remembers the story, loves watching it unfold again and loves the spectacle.
Damned fine cast, by the way!
In addition to the review above, which is stunning, you might be interested to know some reviews of "ordinary" watchers of the series. Three people responded to the Quora question, "What is your review of the TV mini-series 'I, Claudius'?" The first response is particularly meticulous and includes a video snatch from the show.
Update 2/7/18: I have two sets of this production, now, the original without subtitles and the 35th Anniversary Edition with subtitles. I'm sad this wasn't produced before Mom's death. She missed the subtitling by 3 years. Oh well, I'm enjoying it now and discovering there are a few delightful phrases I missed in the original, regardless of how good my hearing was (and still is, actually), i.e. Augustus often using the phrase "...as boiled asparagus", when he's annoyed or troubled, which is hilarious in the various contexts to which he puts it. I never quite heard it right, until I could access it on the screen in the subtitles. That's when it became funny to me!
Update 5/16/2022: Even if you haven't seen this series, you likely know that the cast is huge and ever adds new principal actors in new principal roles. I'm not going to attempt to list everyone in the table below, just those standouts who I think likely, or know, go on to star in other productions I have in my collection and those who delivered standout performances in this series like, for instance, Young Herod Agrippa. Even at that, the table may be overwhelming. I apologize in advance.
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Derek Jacobi Claudius Siân Phillips Livia George Baker Tiberius John Hurt Caligula Beth Morris Drusilla Robert Morgan Young Caligula Brian Blessed Augustus Margaret Tyzack Antonia Patricia Quinn Livilla Kevin McNally Castor John Paul Agrippa Frances White Julia Christopher Biggins Nero David Robb Germanicus John Castle Postumus Fiona Walker Agrippina James Faulkner Herod Agrippa Michael Clements Young Herod Sheila White Messalina Patrick Stewart Sejanus John Rhys-Davies Naevius Sutorius Macro Bernard Hepton Marcus Antonius Pallas John Cater Tiberius Claudius Narcissus Barbara Young Agrippinilla Jo Rowbottom Calpurnia Peter Bowles Caractacus John Bennett Gaius Stertinius Xenophon Patsy Byrne Martina Nicholas Amer Mnester Moira Redmond Domitia Lepida Charlotte Howard Scylla Tony Haygarth Claudius' Slave
Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
Release Date: 1976
Directed by Herbert Wise.
Labels: biography1, derek-jacobi, drama8, historical3, john-hurt, political3, shared-favorite, TV2
The Year of Living Dangerously
- Who's watched: G
- Mentions: None
- Commentary: This is one of what I consider to be Peter Weir's more mysterious movies. Every time he does a movie about obvious political conflict, I come away with a sense that the big picture is disastrously easy to miss in the detail of living politically.
I never think of this movie when Mom and I are deciding what to watch together. I expect she will never see it, simply because I don't think of it, even when we have a Peter Weir fest, which we do about once a year. I think she would find Linda Hunt's performance entertaining and noteworthy, but in a Samuel Johnson kind of way. Otherwise, I don't think she would find the story at all involving. Although I may be wrong. If I ever discover that I am, I will certainly update this report.
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Mel Gibson Guy Hamilton Sigourney Weaver Jill Bryant Bill Kerr Colonel Henderson Michael Murphy Pete Curtis Linda Hunt Billy Kwan Noel Ferrier Wally O'Sullivan Bembol Roco Kumar Mike Emperio Sukarno
As often happens, the title for this post, above, is linked to an alternate source, other than Wikipedia. Here is the Wikipedia article on this movie, if you're interested.
Release Date: 1982
Directed by Peter Weir.
Labels: adventure3, drama8, historical3, journalism, me-favorite2, mel-gibson, peter-weir, political3, sigourney-weaver, war2
The Truman Show
- Who's watched: M & G
- Mentions: None
- Commentary: The first time my mother watched this she said, enthusiastically, that she enjoyed it. The second time I watched it in her presence, she paid no attention to it. The third time, not too long ago, she stared at the screen in a daze but insisted on sticking with it, then announced at the end that "...it doesn't seem to have much of a point." In some ways, I consider this movie a barometer of my mother's mental acuity on the day she happens to see it.
This is, by the way, one of my favorite Weir movies.
Once again, the title for this post is linked to an alternate source.
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Jim Carrey Truman Burbank Laura Linney Hannah Gill/Meryl Ed Harris Christof Noah Emmerich Louis Coltrane/Marion Natascha McElhone Sylvia/Lauren Garland Holland Taylor Truman's Mother Brian Delate Truman's Father Paul Giamatti Simeon
Here is a link to the Wikipedia article on this film.
Release Date: 1998
Directed by Peter Weir.
Labels: coming-of-age1, drama8, fantasy3, laura-linney, me-favorite2, paul-giamatti, peter-weir, popcorn-and-soda4, satire2
The Ten Commandments
- Who's watched: M & G
- Mentions: *1* *2* *3* *4* *5*
- Commentary: Although I can't remember my journal comments, I'm sure, if you're even a semi-regular reader of my journal(s) about my mother, you know that this is one of my mother's all time favorites, and I've come to enjoy it, as well. I love the opulence, the story, the acting and the sets. I am proud to say that I can quote dialog from this movie. I never get tired of my mother wanting to see this movie. Each time she decides to watch this movie, the chances always become excellent that I will drop what I'm doing and join her.
Update 2/10/18: For fun, I thought I'd link the title of this write-up to the original 1956 review of this movie in the New York Times.
Update 8/19/19: I just discovered, to my dismay, that the old title link to the original NYT review of this movie dead-ended; so, I looked up the review and attached the new link. Just in case, though, I am appending the entire November 9, 1956, review (by Bosley Crowther) below. Take note of the opening sentence, it's quite interesting. So is the later commentary on the special effects in the movie:
"AGAINST the raw news of modern conflict between Egypt and Israel—a conflict that has its preamble in the Book of Exodus—Cecil B. De Mille's "The Ten Commandments" was given its world première last night at the Criterion Theatre, and the coincidence was profound. For Mr. De Mille's latest rendering of Biblical literature in the spectacular framing and colloquial idiom of the screen tells an arresting story of Moses, the ancient Israelite who was a slave with his people in Egypt and who struggled to set them free.
"As Mr. De Mille presents it in this three-hour-and-thirty-nine-minute film, which is by far the largest and most expensive that he has ever made, it is a moving story of the spirit of freedom rising in a man, under the divine inspiration of his Maker. And, as such, it strikes a ringing note today.
"But aside from the timely arrival and contemporary context of this film, it is also a rather handsome romance in Mr. De Mille's best massive style. To the fundamental story of Moses, as told in the Old Testament and reflected in other ancient writings consulted by Mr. De Mille, he and his corps of screen playwrights have added some frank apocrypha which, while they may not be traceable in history (or even in legend), make for a robust tale.
"In this imaginative recount, Moses is raised as a prince in the palace of Egypt's Pharaoh, after being found, as the Bible tells, by the Pharaoh's daughter in the bullrushes, where he was hidden by his mother, a Hebrew slave. And as a presumed Egyptian, he is a candidate for the Pharaoh's throne and a rival for the love of a luscious princess with the Pharaoh's own son Rameses.
"As one might well imagine, the plot-minded Mr. De Mille does not pass lightly or briefly over this phase of his tale. Moses, as played by Charlton Heston, is a handsome and haughty young prince who warrants considerable attention as a heroic man of the ancient world. And Anne Baxter as the sensual princess and Yule Brynner as the rival, Rameses, are unquestionably apt and complementary to a lusty and melodramatic romance.
"But the story is brought back to contact with the Bible and with its inspirational trend when Moses discovers, acknowledges and is exiled from Egypt because of his Hebraic birth. Then Mr. De Mille, who, incidentally, acts as narrator for his film in many of its more exalted stretches, takes him into the wilderness and establishes his contact with his Maker, which leads to the Exodus and the Covenant on Mount Sinai.
"In the latter phases of the drama, wherein the impulse to set his people free from the bondage of Egypt flames in Moses, the spiritual and supernatural surge comes somewhat bluntly in the picture, and the performance of such awesome miracles as the crossing of the Red Sea and the burning of the Ten Commandments into the tablets of stone may strike the less devout viewer as a bit mechanical and abrupt.
"Also, and with all due regard for the technical difficulties besetting Mr. De Mille, we must say his special effects department was not up to sets or costumes. The parting of the Red Sea is an obvious piece of camera trickery in which two churning walls of water frame a course as smooth and dry as a race track. And the striking off of the Ten Commandments by successive thunderbolts, while a deep voice intones their contents is disconcertingly mechanical.
"However, in its other technical aspects—in its remarkable settings and décor, including an overwhelming facade of the Egyptian city from which the Exodus begins, and in the glowing Technicolor in which the picture is filmed—Mr. De Mille has worked photographic wonders. And his large cast of characters is very good, from Sir Cedric Hardwicke as a droll and urbane Pharaoh to Edward G. Robinson as a treacherous overlord. Yvonne DeCarlo as the Midianite shepherdess to whom Moses is wed is notably good in a severe role, as is John Derek as a reckless Joshua.
"This is unquestionably a picture to which one must bring something more than a mere wish for entertainment in order to get a full effect from it. But for those to whom its fundamentalism will be entirely credible, it should be altogether thrilling and perhaps even spiritually profound."
The title link to the NYT article that ran when the movie premiered, is back, again, and appears to be generally available to all digital readers of NYT, not just subscribers. I'm not sure why, and I don't trust it, so, just in case, I'm keeping this link in reserve.
As an aside, from a Special Feature which accompanies the DVD of the movie, Charlton Heston tells viewers that he also voiced God in the movie, and gives an interesting reason: He imagined that the voice of God would come from within oneself and would, therefore, sound like oneself.
Update 6/22/2022 Regarding the voice of God: Although there is considerable confusion online about who voiced God in this movie, what finally seems apparent is that God was voiced by more than one actor. Jesse Delos Jewkes definitely voiced God in the Ten Commandments Tablet scene. [See, also, this article about Jesse Delos Jewkes.] Charlton Heston, in an interview available on my "Special Edition" copy of the movie, said that he was the voice of God; it seems apparent that, for the Burning Bush scene, he probably was (which is confirmed in the Wikipedia article about this movie). Other sources credit Cecil B. DeMille as voicing God in certain segments of the movie, but I cannot find anything authoritative to confirm this. Perhaps we will never know, for sure, how many actors voiced God in this movie and who all of them were.
Yet another link, if you can handle it. Aside from the DVD Savant review I linked in the title, he wrote another review when the blu-ray edition was released with an extra 11 minutes of footage added to the film. I think. I'm not sure. That might be an extra 11 minutes of special features. At any rate, although some of the review is repetitive, it also adds knowledge and perspective, having been written 7 years after his initial review. So, I'm including it in the immediately previous link.
My Final Commentary 8/19/19: I don't consider it true that "one must bring something more than a mere wish for entertainment in order to get a full effect" of the movie. I was not a god-believer when I initially saw the movie and have not been since. The movie's "full effect", however, subsumes me every time I watch it. In fact, after having updated this post, I'm thinking, this afternoon might be a good time for me to watch the movie, again. Just for fun, and to enjoy that subsumation experience, once again.
My Absolute Final Commentary 6/21/2022: I'm about a third of the way through a special on YouTube about the making of The Ten Commandments - 1956. Watching it reminded me of some family history surrounding this movie that I want to record. This movie is the very first DVD that Mom and I obtained. At that time, neither of us had any idea that we would build a large collection around it. One year, I'm not sure which year but it was definitely post 1997 (when she bought the house in Prescott, in which I continue to reside), MFS sent us a coupon for Blockbuster Video in celebration of some holiday or birthday or something-or-other. Mom and I initially figured we'd use it to rent movies, since we'd established a habit of doing this in Mesa and Prescott. Mom sent me to the store while she begged off by saying, "I feel a nap coming on. Get something good for tonight." When I discovered that The Ten Commandments - 1956 was on sale and fit right into the budget established by the gift certificate from MFS, I realized I had a decision to make. I knew that this was a movie that both Mom and I would want to see again and again and decided, instead of renting a few movies that we may or may not watch before they were due back, to buy this movie. I remember Mom being very excited about my choice of "rental" and even more excited when I told her I out-right bought it so we could watch it whenever we wanted. That's where, and how, our movie collection began. From that point on Mom's preference was to own, not to rent, and I had no quarrel with that decision. No, Virginia, I don't remember what our second movie purchase was. It doesn't matter, really. With this movie, alone, our collection was off and running.
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Charlton Heston Moses/Voice of God Sir Cedric Hardwicke Seti I Yul Brynner Rameses II Anne Baxter Nefretiri Edward G. Robinson Dathan Yvonne De Carlo Sephora Debra Paget Lilia John Derek Joshua Nina Foch Bithiah Martha Scott Yochabel Judith Anderson Memnet Vincent Price Baka John Carradine Aaron Olive Deering Miriam Eduard Franz Jethro John Miljan The Blind One
Here is the Wikipedia article about the movie, just in case.
Release Date: 1956
Directed and Narrated by Cecil B. DeMille.
Labels: bible-movies1, charlton-heston, drama8, moses, period4, popcorn-and-soda4, religion1, shared-favorite, spectacle2
The Shawshank Redemption
- Who's watched: M & G
- Mentions: *1*
- Commentary: Although I don't normally 'force' my mother to watch movies I know she'll find unpleasant, even though most of this movie takes place in a prison and doesn't spare the detail, I 'forced' her to watch this movie, even the very difficult scenes. I told her, before I sat her down to watch it, that the movie was one of the most uplifting movies she is likely to watch, but in order to reap the full benefit, she must watch the entire movie, even the parts that are hard to watch.
My insistence was worth it. The movie has become one of my mother's favorites, and she delights, now, every time she hears Morgan Freeman's voice, even in another movie, because she associates it with the surprises and pleasures of this movie.
Roger Ebert reviewed this movie twice. His initial review is linked to the title in this post in which the movie garnered three-and-a-half stars. Five years later it became one of his Great Movies and was racheted up to four stars. In his "Great Movie" review Ebert explains the disparity: that, in fact, he reacted much like the public did to this movie: finding the word "redemption" in the title off-putting from the point of view of theater watching, but, later, made the movie a phenomenon in the home video market. Read the article. It's interesting how he comes to this conclusion.
I, frankly, don't remember whether I first saw it in the theater or on home video. The dating of this post tells me that I acquired it sometime in 2006. I may have seen it before that, or maybe not. All I remember, now, is that I have loved this movie ever since I first saw it, whenever that was. It is juicy with, well, forgive me, Roger, redemption, not something that one finds very often, in life or in the movies.
Turns out, I own two copies of this movie, this stand-alone and another copy in the "Warner Brothers 20 Film Collection Thrillers". Which is good. I can either give one of the copies away or consider that I have a back-up if one of my copies decides to misbehave.
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Tim Robbins Andy Dufresne Morgan Freeman Ellis Boyd "Red" Redding Bob Gunton Samuel Norton William Sadler Heywood Clancy Brown Byron Hadley Gil Bellows Tommy Williams James Whitmore Brooks Hatlen Mark Rolston Bogs Diamond
Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
Release Date: 1994
Directed by Frank Darabont.
Labels: bob-gunton, clancy-brown, drama8, morgan-freeman, revenge1, shared-favorite, tim-robbins
The Passion of the Christ
- Who's watched: M & G
- Mentions: *1* *2* *3*
- Commentary: For both my mother and me, the controversy over this movie was beside the point. My mother is an aficionado of both Jesus and religious movies, so, of course, she had to see this one. If I hadn't been living with my mother when it came out, I probably would not have seen it, but not in some sort of intellectual or spiritual protest. I wouldn't have bothered because I know the story so well and know what I believe about the issues it raises.
The rough and violent nature of the movie bothered neither of us. We discussed, briefly, whether Jesus was singled out for unusual torture, as, basically, his crucifixion was all in a day's work, and he wasn't the only person crucified on the day he died, nor was he the only person ever convicted of exactly the type of political treason that sent him to Golgotha.
Other than that, my mother's favorite "character" in the movie is the oblique, white head of who she assumes to be "satan", or, more appropriately, as she expressed it, the spirit of evil and selfishness luring Jesus to turn his back on his mission. The head reminds me a bit of the spirit masks floating about in Spirited Away.
I've linked the title of this post to Roger Ebert's extraordinary and cogent review of this movie.
The movie is definitely a winner from the "Bible Movie" perspective, for my mother.
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Jim Caviezel Jesus of Nazareth Maia Morgenstern Mary, mother of Jesus Monica Bellucci Mary Magdalene Luca Lionello Judas Iscariot Rosalinda Celentano Satan Luca De Dominicis Herod Ántipas Pietro Sarubbi Barabbus Hristo Naumov Shopov Pontius Pilate Giacinto Ferro Joseph of Arimathia Sergio Rubini Dismas, Penitant Thief Mattia Sbragia Caiaphas Francesco De Vito Peter
Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film, which outlines some of the controversy against which Roger Ebert was writing in his review.
Release Date: 2004
Directed by Mel Gibson.
Labels: bible-movies1, drama8, jesus-dvds, mel-gibson, mom-favorite1, period4, religion1, spectacle2, violence3
The Lion King 1994
- Who's watched: M & G
- Mentions: *1*
- Commentary: Again, I'm not a fan of animation, but this pulled me in when the shot of the zebras on the plain, at the beginning of the movie, dissolved into the shot of ants carrying leaves along a tree branch; or vice versa, I'm not sure which way the shot dissolved. At any rate, I find it very entertaining. So does my Mom. It has, though, been awhile since we've seen this one.
Here's a link to a site called "The Lion King World Wide Web Archive - The Unofficial Fan Resource". It's grown quite a bit since I last visited it (I'm writing this on 7/31/21). It's very well done, very up-to-date and loaded with all kinds of stuff related to The Lion King franchise and fandom.
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Matthew Broderick Simba Jeremy Irons Scar James Earl Jones Mufasa Moira Kelly Nala Nathan Lane Timon Ernie Sabella Pumbaa Robert Guillaume Rafiki Rowan Atkinson Zazu Madge Sinclair Sarabi Whoopi Goldberg Hyena Shenzi Cheech Marin Hyena Banzai Jim Cummings Hyena Ed
If you're in the mood for a quicker take, here's a link to the Wikipedia article about this particular movie.
Release Date: 1994
Directed by Roger Allers & Rob Minkoff.
Labels: adventure3, animated, coming-of-age1, kids, musical1, royals, shared-favorite, whoopi-goldberg
