Thursday, November 24, 2022
Made for Each Other
- Commentary: Under construction.
It seems that, although often praising aspects of this movie, critics also had bones to pick about it. The review attached to the title of this post takes a much kinder view than this one written by "disinterested spectator", a member of the Daily Kos community, but they both have problems with certain plot manipulations that they each consider unbelievable, including a deux ex machina ending. It's funny because, in the Daily Kos review the critic mentions that kind of ending as spoiling the film The Wrong Man. I beg to differ. I didn't even remember the deus ex machina manipulation in The Wrong Man and had to go back and review the story to see if this accusation is true. It is, but, as it turns out, this rosary scene was, and is, completely insignificant to me, obviously. Perhaps I was able to dismiss it because religion wasn't sprinkled throughout the entire film and I'm an agnostic atheist, have been for my entire life, so, you know, those things, unless they're rampant in a movie, tend to escape my notice. My understanding, from the reviews I've read, is that religion occupies a major focus in this particular movie. This heightens my desire to watch it. Soon. Despite my non-religious bent, I make no secret of my fascination with movies with lots of religion in them. Why do you think I own The Left Behind Trilogy?
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Carole Lombard Jane Mason James Stewart John Horace Mason Charles Coburn Judge Joseph M. Doolittle Lucile Watson Mrs. Harriet Mason Eddie Quillan Conway Alma Kruger Sister Madeline Louise Beavers Lily, Cook #3 Ward Bond Jim Hatton
Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
Release Date: 1939
Directed by John Cromwell.
Labels: dramaF, goflexA, james-stewart, louise-beavers, religion2
Tuesday, May 24, 2022
Imitation of Life (1934)
- Who's watched: M & G
- Mentions: None
- Commentary: This is my favorite version of this movie. For some reason, Lana Turner doesn't do it for me. That being said, being who I am, raised in the manner and era specific to me, I still find this movie and it's 1959 remake disturbing, to say the least. There are 25 years between the two movies and, yet, the basics of the story are the same. Surely such a movie could not be made now and considered legitimate ... could it? I hope not.
Of the two reviews in the link attached to the title, the first is about the movie. The second is a short article about the book and the story.
Update 11/17/2021: This post was originally published February 6, 2005. It was one of the accidental deletions that occurred, which is covered in this post.
Update 5/24/22: Yet another post republished on 4/09/09 that "disappeared" and I had to recapture.
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Claudette Colbert Beatrice Pullman Rochelle Hudson Jessie Pullman Louise Beavers Delilah Johnson Fredi Washington Peola Johnson Ned Sparks Elmer Smith Warren William Stephen Archer Wyndham Standing Jarvis the Butler Alan Hale Martin
Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
Release Date: 1934
Directed by John M. Stahl.
Labels: dramaC, louise-beavers, mother-daughter-dynamics1, pre-code, romance4
Holiday Inn
- Who's watched: M & G
- Mentions: none
- Commentary: This was one of the last Christmas movies we purchased before Mom's death. I'd often wanted a copy of it because Mom had fond, though vague, memories of it. The version we purchased included the black-and-white and color editions. Although there are several b&w movies I'd refuse to watch in color, It's a Wonderful Life, for instance, or High Noon (yee gads, what a horrible idea, High Noon in color), the usual Tracy/Hepburn movies, Miracle on 34th Street (the original one), I have to say, I like this one in color better than the b&w version, although, in it's favor, that's the version we watched first. I gave Mom a choice and she chose color first. This edition contains a special feature which documents the colorization process. Once I understood how it's done, the idea didn't seem quite so disgusting. But, I still want my Now, Voyager in black & white.
Review opinions on this movie run the gamut. I've linked a negative review to the title of this post. Here's a foursome of much more positive reviews of the film. So, you know, watch the movie, take your pick.
Update 5/24/22: Yet another post published on 4/09/09 that "disappeared" and I had to recapture.
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Bing Crosby Jim Hardy Fred Astaire Ted Hanover Marjorie Reynolds Linda Mason Walter Abel Danny Reed Virginia Dale Lila Dixon Louise Beavers Mamie Irving Bacon Gus James Bell Dunbar from Hollywood
Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
Release Date: 1942
Directed by Mark Sandrich.
Labels: 20th-century-chick-flicks1, Christmas, comedy1, dance, fred-astaire, louise-beavers, musical1, popcorn-and-soda3, romance2
Tuesday, March 08, 2022
The Story of Temple Drake
- Commentary: Under construction.
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Miriam Hopkins Temple Drake Jack La Rue Trigger William Gargan Stephen Benbow Florence Eldridge Ruby Lemarr Irving Pichel James Goodwin Jobyna Howland Miss Reba Guy Standing Judge Drake Elizabeth Patterson Aunt Jennie Harlan Knight Pap James Eagles Tommy James Pier Mason Van Louise Beavers Minnie
Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
Release Date: 1933
Directed by Stephen Roberts.
Labels: §3, Criterion4, louise-beavers, miriam-hopkins, pre-code, southern-gothic
Tuesday, November 05, 2019
Make Way for Tomorrow
- Commentary: I first saw this movie the Thanksgiving after my mother died. I was preparing to travel down to the Phoenix metroplex to share a late afternoon Thanksgiving dinner with one of my sisters' families. I awoke early, was ready to go within an hour and looking for something to do until I felt it optimal to leave for the drive down to The Valley. I switched on TCM and up came this movie. I'd never heard of it, but the title intrigued me.
What a film! Despite it having been released in 1937, it addressed a situation so common, today, that the movie industry continues to release a new take on "what-to-do-about-the-elderly" once every couple of years, or so. As a society, here in the U.S., we never get tired of fearing the aging of our parents, and then, our own aging ... and we still don't have it figured out. Every time I watch this movie, I think of a scene out of another movie (which I can't place, at the moment, I don't think I own it), an animated feature, possibly Brother Bear, but I'm not sure, I should rent that movie from the library and see, in which a young character's grandmother features in a short segment, gathering flowers in a forest and explaining the joys of being old. It's a laudable portrayal, but not really true of aging in our society (or some other societies). This movie is true. And depressing. As hell.
Upshot is, I was so impressed with this movie I attempted to talk about it during my Thanksgiving visit. My sister was having none of it. Which kind of proves my point.
With this movie, I'm instituting a new label category, "aging". I'm surprised it didn't exist before this. I guess I share the same psychological malady of having trouble contemplating aging with the rest of my society. Now I'm curious: How many more movies do I own to which this label could apply? Probably not many, which, yet again, underscores my point.
Roger Ebert christened this movie as a "Great Movie", linked to the title of this post.
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Victor Moore Pa Cooper Beulah Bondi Ma Cooper Fay Bainter Anita Cooper Thomas Mitchell George Cooper Porter Hall Harvey Chase Barbara Read Rhoda Cooper Maurice Moscovitch Max Rubens Elisabeth Risdon Cora Payne Minna Gombel Nellie Chase Ray Meyer Robert Cooper Ralph Remley Bill Payne Louise Beavers Mamie
For the curious, here's the Wikipedia write-up about this film.
Release Date: 1937
Directed by Leo McCarey.
Labels: aging, beulah-bondi, Criterion1, drama3, louise-beavers, psychological1, spiritual1, thomas-mitchell, tragedy1
