Image via WikipediaHappy Birthday, Doris!
We love you!
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Happy Birthday, Doris!
Image via WikipediaHappy Birthday, Doris!
We love you!
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Doris Day to turn 87 on Sunday, April 3rd
My favorite film star will turn 87 tomorrow. This fantastic lady, who usually stays as far away from the spotlight as possible, has confirmed that she will "call in" to the local Monterey Bay radio station that traditionally honors her every year on her birthday with hours of music, fan calls, and tribute. This year's broadcast will be the 5th annual Doris Day Birthday Celebration, and will run from 8am-12pm Pacific Standard Time on KIDD 630-AM.
Cover of Doris DayMs. Day typically connects with the station at least once during that time to thank her fans (she calls them friends) and chat with the DJs. Fans are welcome to call 831-375-6300 to wish Ms. Day a happy birthday.
It is always a delight to hear her voice and the spunky laughter that still bubbles from her ever-lovable personality.
Click here and here for more information about this broadcast.
Cover of Doris DayIt is always a delight to hear her voice and the spunky laughter that still bubbles from her ever-lovable personality.
Click here and here for more information about this broadcast.
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Elizabeth Taylor dead at 79
Screen icon Elizabeth Taylor died of congestive heart failure early this morning in Los Angeles. She was 79 years old. Though she may be gone now, certainly she will never be forgotten.
Image via Wikipedia
Image via WikipediaMonday, February 21, 2011
Gaslight
How would you do without the electric lights to which you are so accustomed? What if you had only fires and gas lights to see by after sundown? Even better - or more terrifying - what if you lived in a creepy old London rowhouse with gas lights, a cruel husband, and the memory of your dead aunt, who was murdered there?!
This is precisely the situation that Paula (Ingrid Bergman) finds herself in after determining to face her worst fears with her new, and mysterious, husband. The worst is yet to come, however; in the flickering light of the dimming gas, Paula is losing her mind. As she sinks into despair and misery, two men are poised on either side of her sanity: her husband trying to take her mind and a fond onlooker trying to save it.
Image via Wikipedia
The result is a fascinatingly tense film that keeps you guessing and hanging on every word. For acting it can't be matched. Charles Boyer nails the part of the sadistic husband who has a nefarious motive for driving his wife slowly and systematically out of her mind. He was nominated for Best Actor for this role.
Ingrid Bergman won the Best Actress Oscar for her performance in this film, and it was well deserved. She is at every moment believable, and in every instant sympathetic. Her performance of growing terror will draw you out to the edge of your seat.
Angela Lansbury ("Murder, She Wrote" and Beauty and the Beast) made her screen debut in this film and turned out such an accomplished performance that she too earned an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress. Not bad for a first outing.
Joseph Cotten plays our hero. The man who once admired Paula's aunt and now sees in Paula a deeply troubled and threatened young woman. Can he intervene soon enough to save both her life and her mind?
Besides Bergman's win Gaslight scored the Best Art Direction-Interior Decoration, Black-and-White Oscar and was nominated for three others:
This is precisely the situation that Paula (Ingrid Bergman) finds herself in after determining to face her worst fears with her new, and mysterious, husband. The worst is yet to come, however; in the flickering light of the dimming gas, Paula is losing her mind. As she sinks into despair and misery, two men are poised on either side of her sanity: her husband trying to take her mind and a fond onlooker trying to save it.
Image via WikipediaThe result is a fascinatingly tense film that keeps you guessing and hanging on every word. For acting it can't be matched. Charles Boyer nails the part of the sadistic husband who has a nefarious motive for driving his wife slowly and systematically out of her mind. He was nominated for Best Actor for this role.
Ingrid Bergman won the Best Actress Oscar for her performance in this film, and it was well deserved. She is at every moment believable, and in every instant sympathetic. Her performance of growing terror will draw you out to the edge of your seat.
Angela Lansbury ("Murder, She Wrote" and Beauty and the Beast) made her screen debut in this film and turned out such an accomplished performance that she too earned an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress. Not bad for a first outing.
Joseph Cotten plays our hero. The man who once admired Paula's aunt and now sees in Paula a deeply troubled and threatened young woman. Can he intervene soon enough to save both her life and her mind?
Besides Bergman's win Gaslight scored the Best Art Direction-Interior Decoration, Black-and-White Oscar and was nominated for three others:
- Best Cinematography, Black-and-White
- Best Picture
- Best Writing, Screenplay
Bergman also won the Golden Globe that year for Best Motion Picture Actress in this role. Even if you are not one to be swayed by awards, however (I usually don't trust 'em myself), I hope your interest is piqued enough to give this one a try.
George Cukor directed this film to great emotional effect, but he also succeeded in producing a film that is visually intriguing if nothing else (but it's so much else!). His use of shadow in story-telling is unique and should be noted. Keep in mind, also, that Boyer was shorter than Bergman and had, on occasion, to stand on a box to make the scenes work.
I hope you check this one out and come back to give your opinion. I'd love to hear what you think about it.
I hope you check this one out and come back to give your opinion. I'd love to hear what you think about it.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
CMBA Hitchcock Blogathon: The Man Who Knew Too Much
I am honored to be taking part in the Classic Movie Blog Association's Hitchcock Blogathon - its largest blogathon yet. I'm not alone. In all there are 20 classic movie blogs covering a wide variety of Hitchcock masterpieces, staples, and lesser-known jewels; look to the bottom of this post for a full listing of all of the reviews and where they can be found. I look forward to reading each of them myself. I'm bound to learn a lot!
When I opened the invitation to participate in the blogathon, I didn't even have to think about which movie I would review. If you've been with this blog from the beginning, or know me personally, then you know that I adore Doris Day. Jimmy Stewart doesn't hurt either. So The Man Who Knew Too Much it is. Now, I've seen this film a number of times over the years, and it is one of my favorites to show friends who know nothing about Day and little about Hitchcock. But I knew that for a review of this kind I needed to watch it again and pay more attention to the details I had never focused on before. While I was at it, I figured I might as well start by viewing the original Man Who Knew Too Much made in Britain by Hitchcock in 1934. By Turner Classic Movies' account, this was the film that launched Hitchcock into the uninterrupted string of successes that made him world renowned.
It was a fascinating experience, mostly. The audio quality of my copy is not exactly stellar, so I'm not sure I caught more than 80% of what was said, but that could also be due to the plethora of distractions that were assailing me as I watched. Incidentally, distractions do not affect me while I am watching the 1956 version with Doris Day, but more on that later.
The 1934 version is notable, not so much for its story line or action, but for the performance delivered by Peter Lorre and the way in which Hitchcock framed the tension and suspense with dry and ironic humor interspersed throughout. As per Hitchcock's style, this humor is subtle, mostly visual, and it is entirely up to the viewer to take it or leave it. Peter Lorre, who is legendary in his creepiness and strangeness, doesn't disappoint in his role as the spy ringmaster. As always, I found him intriguing. But much of the rest of the film fell flat for me.
The plot is this:
A family vacationing in Switzerland is drawn into a spy caper when the wife becomes privy to the dying breaths of an operative who has uncovered an assassination plot against an important official. When their daughter is kidnapped to keep them quiet, her father and family friend go into the spy business themselves to recover her. Unfortunately, the child is a brat with whom it's hard to sympathize, and the film ends in a long shootout that lost my interest.
In my opinion, Leonard Maltin had it backwards when he said that this version was the most exciting. Apparently, Hitchcock agreed with me. As he stated in an interview:
In 1956, the famed director was ready to begin the remake of The Man Who Knew Too Much he had been planning since 1941. It was the only time he ever remade one of his own films. Having recently visited Morocco himself, the wheels of Hitchcock's unmatched morbid imagination began revolved around the idea of placing the plot in precisely that part of the world. The result was a American couple sucked into the dangers and excitement of espionage in Marrakech, rather than a British couple drawn into similar adventure in Switzerland. The new plot involved a woman of musical talent as the wife and mother, and because of this Hitch had his mind set on Doris Day from the beginning.
The project, originally retitled Into Thin Air, took shape under the supervision of both Hitch and Jimmy Stewart from the production end, with John Hayes and Bernard Herrmann on the scripting and musical ends. Hermann may be seen conducting the orchestra himself in the famous Royal Albert Music Hall scene at the end.
It was Jay Livingston and Ray Evans, however who were responsible for the Oscar-winning song that is to this day an integral part of Doris Day's image: "Que Sera, Sera" (though in those days it was officially, "Whatever Will Be, Will Be"). The tune, sung with such heartfelt emotion and capability by Doris Day, remains for me one of the highlights of the film.
According to Paramount production files, the project ended late and over-budget, but has grossed substantially more than it cost and gave Stewart and Day the never repeated opportunity of working together under the direction of one of the most brilliant and famous movie masterminds in history. The result is splendid.
Hitch's 1956 Man Who Knew Too Much, is, in a word, deft. It accomplishes the blend of adventure, intrigue, suspense, and humor that the earlier version hinted at but did not expertly combine. Sold by the excellent performances from all the actors involved, but particularly by Doris Day, the film not only distinguishes itself as a class act thriller, but also comes in as a fairly good musical in some respects.
Here's the plot if you're unfamiliar:
Dr. and Mrs. Ben McKenna (Stewart and Day) are touring Morocco with their little boy Hank when they become acquainted with a mysterious Frenchman by the name of Louis Bernard. Their acquaintance is short but perplexing, with Bernard's odd and inquisitive behavior troubling Mrs. McKenna, formerly Jo Conway, the celebrated stage artist. The next day, while they are exploring the market place with a British couple they've befriended, the McKenna's are witness to Bernard's public murder, and Ben is the sole hearer of Bernard's last words. It isn't long before Hank is kidnapped and used to keep Ben silent about what Bernard told him. Ben tracks the kidnappers to London and the McKennas pursue them there. Once arrived, they decline to cooperate with Scotland Yard in fear of Hank's safety, and set off on their own to save Hank and stop an assassination attempt at the same time. The climax is a supreme combination of good music, high suspense, and dramatic accomplishment.
The film as a whole is also a telling demonstration of Hitchcock's genius and the extent to which he developed his own talents in the time between the two versions of the film (besides the general improvement in technology and methods). We see his mellow, dry humor lightly sprinkled throughout the film, deftly weaved in among the threads of tension and suspense. Particularly in the final moments Hitch seamless transitions from the emotional high of the conclusion to a very funny and similarly short moment that immediately precedes the credits.
Cultural depictions and foreign language are also used to much better effect than in the first film, with the foreign setting elevated the expectation and dread of the viewer. Priceless cinematic moments in which little movements and subtle staging say much more than lines being uttered are also highlights. Watch for the scene where Ben is called away from his interrogation with the French police to take the call from the kidnappers. Pay special attention to the small movements of his fingers and those of Drayton as they make a follow-up phone call. The import of those movements and the way in which they are framed by the camera is outstanding.
In the end I always come back to the performance by Doris Day, however. The scene in which Ben gives her the news of their son's kidnapping is of Oscar calibre, in my opinion. Also impressive is the way in which she can intone such meaning and foreboding into the simplest of lines. Listen carefully when she has the following exchange with Ben early in the film:
Ben: "What does that mean?"
Jo: "It means that Mr. Bernard is a very mysterious man."
Ben: "I have nothing to hide."
Jo: "I have a feeling that Mr. Bernard has."
Such simple words packed with such foreshadowing.
I hope you'll find time to fit this movie into your schedule soon. It's worth your while. As always your comments and feedback are welcome her at Reel Revival. Enjoy those films!
Check out these other Hitchcock Blogathon reviews at the blogs of other Classic Movie Blog Association members:
The Birds РClassic Film & TV Caf̩
Dial M for Murder – True Classics: The ABCs of Film
The Lady Vanishes – MacGuffin Movies
Lifeboat – Classicfilmboy’s Movie Paradise
Marnie – My Love of Old Hollywood
Mr. and Mrs. Smith – Carole & Co.
North By Northwest – Bette’s Classic Movie Blog
Notorious – Twenty Four Frames
The Pleasure Garden – Thrilling Days of Yesteryear
Rear Window – Java’s Journey
Rebecca – ClassicBecky’s Film and Literary Review
Rope – Kevin’s Movie Corner
Shadow of a Doubt - Great Entertainers Media Archive
The 39 Steps – Garbo Laughs
Three Classic Hitchcock Killers – The Lady Eve’s Reel Life
Torn Curtain - Via Margutta 51
The Trouble with Harry – Bit Part Actors
Vertigo – Noir and Chick Flicks
The Wrong Man – The Movie Projector
When I opened the invitation to participate in the blogathon, I didn't even have to think about which movie I would review. If you've been with this blog from the beginning, or know me personally, then you know that I adore Doris Day. Jimmy Stewart doesn't hurt either. So The Man Who Knew Too Much it is. Now, I've seen this film a number of times over the years, and it is one of my favorites to show friends who know nothing about Day and little about Hitchcock. But I knew that for a review of this kind I needed to watch it again and pay more attention to the details I had never focused on before. While I was at it, I figured I might as well start by viewing the original Man Who Knew Too Much made in Britain by Hitchcock in 1934. By Turner Classic Movies' account, this was the film that launched Hitchcock into the uninterrupted string of successes that made him world renowned. It was a fascinating experience, mostly. The audio quality of my copy is not exactly stellar, so I'm not sure I caught more than 80% of what was said, but that could also be due to the plethora of distractions that were assailing me as I watched. Incidentally, distractions do not affect me while I am watching the 1956 version with Doris Day, but more on that later.
The 1934 version is notable, not so much for its story line or action, but for the performance delivered by Peter Lorre and the way in which Hitchcock framed the tension and suspense with dry and ironic humor interspersed throughout. As per Hitchcock's style, this humor is subtle, mostly visual, and it is entirely up to the viewer to take it or leave it. Peter Lorre, who is legendary in his creepiness and strangeness, doesn't disappoint in his role as the spy ringmaster. As always, I found him intriguing. But much of the rest of the film fell flat for me. The plot is this:
A family vacationing in Switzerland is drawn into a spy caper when the wife becomes privy to the dying breaths of an operative who has uncovered an assassination plot against an important official. When their daughter is kidnapped to keep them quiet, her father and family friend go into the spy business themselves to recover her. Unfortunately, the child is a brat with whom it's hard to sympathize, and the film ends in a long shootout that lost my interest.
In my opinion, Leonard Maltin had it backwards when he said that this version was the most exciting. Apparently, Hitchcock agreed with me. As he stated in an interview:
"Let's say that the first version was the work of a talented amateur and the second was made by a professional."
In 1956, the famed director was ready to begin the remake of The Man Who Knew Too Much he had been planning since 1941. It was the only time he ever remade one of his own films. Having recently visited Morocco himself, the wheels of Hitchcock's unmatched morbid imagination began revolved around the idea of placing the plot in precisely that part of the world. The result was a American couple sucked into the dangers and excitement of espionage in Marrakech, rather than a British couple drawn into similar adventure in Switzerland. The new plot involved a woman of musical talent as the wife and mother, and because of this Hitch had his mind set on Doris Day from the beginning. The project, originally retitled Into Thin Air, took shape under the supervision of both Hitch and Jimmy Stewart from the production end, with John Hayes and Bernard Herrmann on the scripting and musical ends. Hermann may be seen conducting the orchestra himself in the famous Royal Albert Music Hall scene at the end.
It was Jay Livingston and Ray Evans, however who were responsible for the Oscar-winning song that is to this day an integral part of Doris Day's image: "Que Sera, Sera" (though in those days it was officially, "Whatever Will Be, Will Be"). The tune, sung with such heartfelt emotion and capability by Doris Day, remains for me one of the highlights of the film.
According to Paramount production files, the project ended late and over-budget, but has grossed substantially more than it cost and gave Stewart and Day the never repeated opportunity of working together under the direction of one of the most brilliant and famous movie masterminds in history. The result is splendid.
Hitch's 1956 Man Who Knew Too Much, is, in a word, deft. It accomplishes the blend of adventure, intrigue, suspense, and humor that the earlier version hinted at but did not expertly combine. Sold by the excellent performances from all the actors involved, but particularly by Doris Day, the film not only distinguishes itself as a class act thriller, but also comes in as a fairly good musical in some respects.
Here's the plot if you're unfamiliar:
Dr. and Mrs. Ben McKenna (Stewart and Day) are touring Morocco with their little boy Hank when they become acquainted with a mysterious Frenchman by the name of Louis Bernard. Their acquaintance is short but perplexing, with Bernard's odd and inquisitive behavior troubling Mrs. McKenna, formerly Jo Conway, the celebrated stage artist. The next day, while they are exploring the market place with a British couple they've befriended, the McKenna's are witness to Bernard's public murder, and Ben is the sole hearer of Bernard's last words. It isn't long before Hank is kidnapped and used to keep Ben silent about what Bernard told him. Ben tracks the kidnappers to London and the McKennas pursue them there. Once arrived, they decline to cooperate with Scotland Yard in fear of Hank's safety, and set off on their own to save Hank and stop an assassination attempt at the same time. The climax is a supreme combination of good music, high suspense, and dramatic accomplishment.The film as a whole is also a telling demonstration of Hitchcock's genius and the extent to which he developed his own talents in the time between the two versions of the film (besides the general improvement in technology and methods). We see his mellow, dry humor lightly sprinkled throughout the film, deftly weaved in among the threads of tension and suspense. Particularly in the final moments Hitch seamless transitions from the emotional high of the conclusion to a very funny and similarly short moment that immediately precedes the credits.
Cultural depictions and foreign language are also used to much better effect than in the first film, with the foreign setting elevated the expectation and dread of the viewer. Priceless cinematic moments in which little movements and subtle staging say much more than lines being uttered are also highlights. Watch for the scene where Ben is called away from his interrogation with the French police to take the call from the kidnappers. Pay special attention to the small movements of his fingers and those of Drayton as they make a follow-up phone call. The import of those movements and the way in which they are framed by the camera is outstanding. In the end I always come back to the performance by Doris Day, however. The scene in which Ben gives her the news of their son's kidnapping is of Oscar calibre, in my opinion. Also impressive is the way in which she can intone such meaning and foreboding into the simplest of lines. Listen carefully when she has the following exchange with Ben early in the film:
Ben: "What does that mean?"Jo: "It means that Mr. Bernard is a very mysterious man."
Ben: "I have nothing to hide."
Jo: "I have a feeling that Mr. Bernard has."
Such simple words packed with such foreshadowing.
I hope you'll find time to fit this movie into your schedule soon. It's worth your while. As always your comments and feedback are welcome her at Reel Revival. Enjoy those films!
Check out these other Hitchcock Blogathon reviews at the blogs of other Classic Movie Blog Association members:
The Birds РClassic Film & TV Caf̩
Dial M for Murder – True Classics: The ABCs of Film
The Lady Vanishes – MacGuffin Movies
Lifeboat – Classicfilmboy’s Movie Paradise
Marnie – My Love of Old Hollywood
Mr. and Mrs. Smith – Carole & Co.
North By Northwest – Bette’s Classic Movie Blog
Notorious – Twenty Four Frames
The Pleasure Garden – Thrilling Days of Yesteryear
Rear Window – Java’s Journey
Rebecca – ClassicBecky’s Film and Literary Review
Rope – Kevin’s Movie Corner
Shadow of a Doubt - Great Entertainers Media Archive
The 39 Steps – Garbo Laughs
Three Classic Hitchcock Killers – The Lady Eve’s Reel Life
Torn Curtain - Via Margutta 51
The Trouble with Harry – Bit Part Actors
Vertigo – Noir and Chick Flicks
The Wrong Man – The Movie Projector
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Upcoming....
Image via WikipediaThis is the first event of its kind for the Classic Movie Blog Association, and it is bound to be a lot of fun. Don't miss it!
Friday, December 24, 2010
Merry Christmas Eve!
My schedule for the day:
THE BISHOP'S WIFE and A CHRISTMAS CAROL!
Fun, fun, fun!
Merry Christmas everyone!
THE BISHOP'S WIFE and A CHRISTMAS CAROL!
Fun, fun, fun!
Merry Christmas everyone!
Friday, December 17, 2010
Five cans of paint!!
This is one movie I can feel pretty confident that most people have seen (Home Alone).
What is your favorite part?
What is your favorite part?
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Do your vines have tender grapes?
Image via WikipediaIt is one of the greatest films ever made, and also has one of the best Christmas moments on film. It's a total win-win situation.
Read my original review here.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
On the third day of Christmas my true love gave to me...
Image via WikipediaBette Davis, Ann Sheridan, Jimmy Durante, Billie Burke, Reginald Gardiner, Richard Travis, and Mary Wickes, all colliding with each other and Monty Woolley for 112 minutes. The Great Woolley is a famous lecturer and critic who feels nothing but disdain for almost every person in the world, except his assistant, Bette Davis. He is the man who unwillingly came for dinner at the Stanley residence and never left.
Having broken his hip on the slippery stairs outside the home, the critic is at first forced to remain in the home to heal; he finds himself so enjoying meddling in (and wrecking) the lives of the family that he decides not to leave. And all of this as he prepares for a Christmas Eve radio broadcast live from the home.
Will he learn any Christmas lessons?
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