Movies, Mom & Me

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  Commentary:  Under construction.
    

  Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role
  Kirk Douglas	Colonel Dax	Ralph Meeker	Cpl Philippe Paris	Adolphe Menjou	Maj Gen Georges Broulard	George Macready	Brig Gen Paul Mireau
  Wayne Morris	Lieutenant Roget	Richard Anderson	Mjr Saint-Auban	Joe Turkel	Pvt Pierre Arnaud	Christiane Kubrick	German singer

  
    Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
    Release Date: 1957
    Directed by Stanley Kubrick.

Labels: Criterion7, kirk-douglas, stanley-kubrick, war3

# posted by gail @ 06:30    0 comments    email......this post

• 
  Commentary:  Under construction.
    You'll no doubt notice that the review I've attached to the title of this post is a video review done by Moviereviewsbymargie. It's the only review I could find with substance. Interestingly, the channel appears to be Christian oriented, which motivated the reviewer to cover things such as age appropriateness. The reviewer loved the movie, as it turns out, but this did not cause her to skip over discussion of such things as quality of direction and cinematography. Take a listen. See what you think. I'm pleased with the job she did.
    

  Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role
  Laraine Day	Stephanie Gaylord	Kirk Douglas	Owen Waterbury	Keenan Wynn	Ronnie Hastings	Helen Walker	Elsie
  Rudy Vallee	Charles Harris	Florence Bates	Horrible Hannah Reeve	Alan Mowbray	Deveny	Helene Stanley	Miss 'Clay' Pidgeon
  Irene Ryan	Mary	Gale Robbins	Dawn O'Malley	Grady Sutton	Sylvan Scott	Virginia Hewitt	Felicia Adams

  
    Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
    Release Date: 1948
    Directed by Charles Martin.

Labels: goflexA, kirk-douglas

# posted by gail @ 13:42    0 comments    email......this post

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  Commentary:  Under construction.
    If you have a "thing" for Barbara Stanwyck, and I do, you might want to check out the following two articles containing in depth critical consideration and praise for her body of work: Utterly Modern: The Charisma of Barbara Stanwyck by Nell Minowand Bow down to Babs by Jim Emerson.
    

  Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role
  Barbara Stanwyck	Martha Ivers	Van Heflin	Sam Masterson	Lizabeth Scott	Antonia Marachek	Kirk Douglas	Walter O'Neil
  Judith Anderson	Mrs. Ivers	Roman Bohnen	Mr. O'Neil	Darryl Hickman	Child Sam Masterson	Janis Wilson	Child Martha Ivers
  Ann Doran	Bobbi St. John	Frank Orth	Hotel Clerk	James Flavin	Detective 1	Mickey Kuhn	Child Walter O'Neil
  Charles D. Brown	McCarthy	Blake Edwards	Sailor	Robert Homans	Gallagher	Gladden James	John

  
    Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
    Release Date: 1946
    Directed by Lewis Milestone.

Labels: barbara-stanwyck, film-noir1, goflexB, kirk-douglas, melodramaB, van-heflin

# posted by gail @ 09:57    0 comments    email......this post

• Who's watched:  M & G, ad infinitum
• Mentions:  *1* *2* *3* *4* *5* *6* *7*
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  Commentary:  For the most complete coverage of this series in our lives, best for you to click into the first Mention, above. Otherwise, suffice it to say that, as of this date, I still haven't been able to watch any of the episodes of this series (as I haven't since my mother's death), but refuse to pass these DVDs on to someone else.
    * As usual, while there are many directors throughout the seasons, female directors are merely scattered throughout. In fact, the first season had no female directors. I guess that figures, since it's a series underhandedly about the Abrahamic God.
    P. S.: I recall that there are at at least a couple of Christmas stories in this set ... I just don't know which episodes they are.
  Update 2/10/18:  True, not your classic super-hero series but, don't you agree, the angels act miraculously and certainly have what humans would consider super-powers. And, they help people and, in a few episodes, do battle with Satan, their nemesis. What could be more super-heroic than that?!?
  Update 5/24/22:  Yet another post published on 4/09/09 that "disappeared" and I had to recapture.
  Update 11/24/22:  In case you're curious, the Touched by an Angel episode in which Kirk Douglas acted was season 6-episode 18, "Bar Mitzvah".
    

  Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role
  Roma Downey	Monica	Della Reese	Tess	John Dye	Andrew	Valerie Bertinelli	Gloria
  Alexis Cruz	Rafael	Charles Rocket	Adam	Paul Winfield	Sam	Cloris Leachman	Ruth

  
    Ossie Davis appeared as Erasmus Jones in "Touched by an Angel" Season 3/Episodes 11 "Promised Land" & 12 "The Homecoming"; "Touched by an Angel" Season 4 Episode 1 "The Road Home Part 1"; Season 5 Episode 2 "Saving Grace Part 1"
    Ossie Davis appeared as Gabe in "Touched by an Angel" Season 6 Episode 10 "The Christmas Gift"
    Ossie Davis appeared as Gabriel in "Touched by an Angel" Season 9 Episode 9 "Remembering Me Part 2"
    Piper Laurie appeared in Touched by an Angel, Season 4/Episode 12, "Venice"
    John de Lancie appeared in Touched by an Angel, Season 4/Episode 5, "Jones vs. God"
    Nancy Allen appeared in Touched by an Angel, Season 1/Episode 7, "An Unexpected Snow"
    Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
    Release Date: 1994-2003
    Directed by: See * note above.

Labels: Christmas, edward-james-olmos, enrique-castillo, fantasy2, female-director3, jesse-borrego, john-de-lancie, kirk-douglas, mom-favorite1, nancy-allen, ossie-davis, piper-laurie, spiritual1, william-devane

# posted by gail @ 11:30    0 comments    email......this post

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  Commentary:  I didn't know anything about this film when I first checked it out for viewing. I was on a binge, at the time, of watching movies that were made the year I was born and this was one of them. I barely remember any of the other movies I found (not a lot; our county library system is a bit short of 1951 films, even though there were plenty made, according to this list, 1,744, to be exact). This was not the only 1951 movie Kirk Douglas made, and it's not the only 1951 movie I own, but it's a doozy.
    If you think the late 1960's through the early-to-mid 1970's had the bead on socially relevant movies, watch this one. The behavior depicted (brilliantly, in my estimation) in this film is so ubiquitous, now-a-days, not only by individual journalists (of which there are many Chuck Tatums) but by entire media corporations, that many don't even realize there is a problem ... until, that is, they watch this 68 year old movie. If you entertain, even a little bit, a healthy skepticism of today's media, you should treat yourself to this movie.
    

  Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role
  Kirk Douglas	Chuck Tatum	Jan Sterling	Kirk Douglas	Kirk Douglas	Herbie Cook	Porter Hall	Jacob Q. Boot
  Frank Cady	Mr. Federber	Richard Benedict	Leo Minosa	Ray Teal	Sheriff Kretzer	Lewis Martin	McCardle
  John Berkes	Papa Minosa	Frances Dominguez	Mama Minosa	Gene Evans	Deputy Sheriff	Frank Jaquet	Sam Smollett
  Harry Harvey Sr.	Dr. Hilton	Bob Bumpas	Radio Announcer	Richard Gaines	Nagel	Bert Moorhouse	Josh Morgan

  
    One of Roger Ebert's Great Movies.
    Here's the link to the Wikipedia write-up for this film.
    Release Date: 1951
    Directed by Billy Wilder.

Labels: birth-year, Criterion1, drama2, film-noir1, journalism, kirk-douglas, melodramaB, political1, psychological1, suspense1

# posted by gail @ 11:24    0 comments    email......this post

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  Commentary:  Had this not been serendipitously included in a four-pack of movies containing the one I wanted I never would have added it to my collection. I have, though, seen it, enjoyed it, and am pleased to add it to my collection by default. It's a mature women's movie with a satirical twist that continues to twist until the end. It contains really interesting and perceptive woman-talk. It's from an era when woman-talk had more respect than it does, now. Does that surprise you, that I consider that, currently, woman-talk is not respected? Well, think again. It's not. It's acceptable, now, as it has rarely been in the past, for women to join men in being knowledgeable and forthcoming on all kinds of subjects, but women-talk? Sad to say, we're in another era of don't-talk-about-relationships of any kind unless it's from a distant psychological perspective.
    Which reminds me, this post initiates yet another category, "psychological". Again, I'm surprised I haven't found a need for that category before this. I'm sure it applies to many movies in my collection.   No matter what you think as you wend your way through the movie, the end is guaranteed to be a surprise and the journey to that surprise is delicious, indeed, so delicious that I will not mind making the journey again, even though I know the destination.
    

  Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role
  Jeanne Crain	Deborah Bishop	Jeffrey Lynn	Bradbury Bishop	Linda Darnell	Lora Mae Hollingsway	Paul Douglas	Porter Hollingsway
  Ann Sothern	Rita Phipps	Kirk Douglas	George Phipps	Barbara Lawrence	Georgiana Finney	Connie Gilchrist	Ruby Finney
  Florence Bates	Mrs. Manleigh	Hobart Cavanaugh	Mr. Manleigh	Thelma Ritter	Sadie Dubin	Celeste Holm	Voice of Addie Ross

  
    Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
    Release Date: 1949
    Directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz.

Labels: buddy, drama3, kirk-douglas, psychological1, thelma-ritter, women's-movie1

# posted by gail @ 19:40    0 comments    email......this post

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  Commentary:  Yet another film I was surprised to discover I didn't own. This was a Mom favorite and it was through me watching her savoring the movie (especially the love story and the plight of Varinia) that I came to appreciate it to the point that, a good year or so ago, after checking the movie out of the library several times, decided to purchase it.
    Yes, it's clearly dated in its portrayal. It rather reminds me of my reaction to The Story of Ruth, when I blurted, in response to watching the priestesses preparing for a sacrifice to Chemosh, "Isn't it interesting that the priestesses gowns look exactly like 1960's evening gowns. Do you think the state of dressmaking, at that time, included all those stays and breast shapers?" My mother ignored me.
    At any rate, I continue to find this movie involving. The write-up of the movie on the back of the case in which the movie came characterizes it as a portrayal of a "triumphant" slave revolt. Maybe idealogically and politically it was "triumphant" but, certainly, the fate of the slaves who participated in the revolt was, well, not particularly triumphant. Looking back at the revolt from 2100 years, noticing the current failings of imperialism, the nascent revolt of everyone but the plutocrats, the years-long dismissal of Christianity, let alone religion, and the success of various social democracies versus the burgeoning torpor of a variety of neo- and post-imperial regimes, well, however inspirational it might have been in 1960, it is mildly depressing, now.
  Update 9/29/19:  Is this a "gang-movie"? Yeah, it is. More of a "good-gang" movie, but a gang-movie, nonetheless. Still fun to watch.
    

  Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role
  Kirk Douglas	Spartacus	Laurence Olivier	Crassus	Jean Simmons	Varinia	Charles Laughton	Gracchus
  Peter Ustinov	Batiatus	Tony Curtis	Antoninus	John Gavin	Julius Caesar	John Dall	Marcus Glabrus
  Nina Foch	Helena Glabrus	John Ireland	Crixus	Joanna Barnes	Claudia Marius	Charles McGraw	Marcellus

  
    Just in case, here's the Wikipedia write-up for the movie.
    Release Date: 1960
    Directed by Stanley Kubrick.

Labels: action1, adventure1, drama4, fantasy1, gang-movie, historical2, jean-simmons, kirk-douglas, mom-favorite1, period2, political1, spectacle1, stanley-kubrick, tragedy1

# posted by gail @ 08:33    0 comments    email......this post