geoff-161

Osborne said that because of Dr. Stangelove coming out just before Fail-Safe, it was a flop because people laughed at it.

This is a great film, but there were a couple of easy things that Lumet could have done that would have fixed it.

(I AM GOING TO TALK ABOUT THE FIRST 10 MINUTES OF THE FILM NOW.)

The nightmare with the bull-fighter at the beginning was fine if you hadn't seen Dr. Strangelove. Unfortunately, that dream looked humorous - or at least satirical. That should have been cut and the film should simply have started with General Black opening his eyes and waking up.

Also, the scenes in which Prof. Groeteschele (Walter Matthau) gives the woman at the party a ride home should also have been cut.

As I said, these scenes wouldn't have seemed comic or satirical if it hadn't been for Dr. Strangelove. There's another scene later in the film that ties into one of the scenes I suggested cutting. It couldn't be cut, but it would have been easy to fix.

I'm disappointed in Stanley Kubrick for insisting that Dr. Strangelove come out first - doing that sunk Fail-Safe. Had Fail-Safe come out first, the seriousness of it would only have heightened the effect of Dr. Strangelove. It's ashame Kubrick didn't understand that.

I kept hearing about this film. I no long live in Atlanta, so, it was great to see the Atlanta scenes and the great Clark campus.

The on-field sequences were a lot of fun. The attitude between the bands during competition was fun to watch. Especially... well that would be a spoiler so I won't say it.

But, I do have a question. What is the origin of the story and why is it that some of the schools are real and some fictional? I find that a little bit odd. I would have expected all fiction or all real, but mixed together? That's not a criticism, just a curiosity.

My curiosity has gotten the best of me on this one.

I rather like this film.

But, I found one thing extremely annoying. Max Steiner's music is cartoonish, not suspenseful. In fact, the music is more appropriate for a comedy. Surely, The Big Sleep is not a comedy or satire. I don't think I'm so stupid as to miss that intention. So, I don't get the comic music with a serious mystery. I found the horns every time Lauren Bacall makes a smart remark to be especially irritating.

The odd part is that in the silly phone call to the police, there's no music - comic or otherwise.

I'd like to know if others find the music odd.

Neil Hefti's music is wonderful. He parodies spy thrillers and sex comedies in one clever score. He uses horns for the sex farce and echoes of the same horns for the spy parody. Simply brilliant.

I saw this movie when it came out and I remember more details than any movie I've seen. It made an amazing impression on me - at age 14. I was fascinated by the NY townhouse with that tiny front door right next to the single car garage with the electronic opener. Then there's the glopita glopita machine and the world's most powerful remote control.

And, today, it is still as funny as ever. Terry Thomas as the butler and on screen narrator is bragging away about his all-male world, when... Virna Lisi arrives as Mrs. Ford.

I know that many think it is an unadulterated attack on women, wives, and marriages. But, in an odd sort of way it lays bare the reality of human relationships. Everyone in every relationship that has lasted over the years has fantasized about killing the other person. It isn't a fantasy we want to come true. We've all thought at one time or another, "I'll kill myself and that will show'em!" Remember, that, at every step of the way it is clear that Mr. Ford loves Mrs. Ford - Bash lays Mrs. Brannigan on the bed, covers her with a blanket, and kisses her just as he's off on his caper to murder her.

It is certainly one true that the movie is dated as are 50's and 60's sex farces. But, the thing about this one is that it is so clever and it goes to such extremes even with the title. "How to Murder Your Wife." Indeed! But part of the fun of this movie is that it is so unpredictably predictable. We want to suspend disbelief for this movie. We want to laugh along.

It is said that this is one of Jack Lemmon's favorite movies - except for the murder trial. Funny thing is I thought the trial set the perfect notes for this farcical send-up of male fantasies.

Someone commented on their surprise at the academy award nominations and wins for this movie.

If you want to be even more amazed, check out the '64 academy awards and see the other films - some of them truly great - that year and you will be even more amazed that this movie was nominated for anything.

I rather liked the music for How the West was Won and it is the one award I could have thought correct. But, it didn't win for music. It won for the truly lousy screen play over a number of really great films. As I said, go back and take a look at the '64 academy awards and you will see exactly what I mean.

Although - I saw it in the theater when it was first released and I will say that I really liked it. But, then, I was 13 and what would I know?

People always complain about the sets for Brigadoon.

But, I rather like them. Surely, Minelli intended to make the sets and costumes look fantastical and stylized rather than realistic. They are quite lovely and they have a fairy tale feel to them. Brigadoon is a fantasy. So, the fact that the sets don't quite look real and are a little too pretty fits the tenor of the picture. And, they all fit together like a great work of art. The colors are beautiful. When Gene and Cyd dance and sing "The Heather on the Hill, even the color of their clothing matches the set. Cyd's orange petticoat matches the coloring of the hills. And, I'm not sure how you would ever have them dance the way they do on real hills.

In fact, rather than criticizing the sets for not being realistic, we should really be talking about how Minelli created such a magnificent gem with the sets, costumes, and art direction.

To me, it's much like the Disney film, The Black Hole, which many rip to shreds because it isn't realistic and there are errors in the science. But, if you look at the Blackhole as a fantasy - which it really is - then the special effects and cinematography maybe the most beautiful treatment of science fiction fantasy ever filmed. Just remember the dining room - gorgeous Chippendale furniture, crystal, china, and chandeliers, with an entire wall and ceiling of glass open into the stars and planets of outer space. Magnificent! And, here, in Brigadoon, everything - cottages, heather, hills, sky, hills and roads are perfect for a fantasy. Hell, Gene Kelly dances on the hills and when he strikes some of his poses, the angles of his body match the angles of the cliffs.

Another film like this is Camelot - it is a fantasy, the sets and costumes are gorgeous in a fairy tale like manner.

Contast this with South Pacific - beautiful settings which look more realistic - but South Pacific isn't a fantasy. West Side Story - great sets, but gritty and real. Fits the story.

We'll never know what Minelli would have done with Brigadoon filmed on location. I'm sure it would have been wonderful. But, it would have been magnificent and different - not necessarily better.

Very creative. I can understand why some might not like this film because it is not what's expected. "The Walking Dead" conjures up re-animated beings wreaking havoc and destruction until the hero's figure out how to put them back in their graves, blow them to smithereens, or send them back into, from whence they came.

All Boris wants is to find out is why. But... Well, you'll have to watch the movie.

It's not a monster movie and it isn't a "bring them back from the dead is evil" movie either. There's no moralizing about violating the laws of God or Man. But, it is a film about justice.

The acting and directing are far better than the typical monster / horror flick of the 1930's. It's amazing what we are left to figure out on our own without being beaten over the head as in most films of the genre.

Boris Karloff, who is brought back from the dead - is a sympathetic character with a unique twist.

THE FOLLOWING MIGHT BE A SPOILER (I don't really think so. But, I don't know how much must be disclosed for it to be one): Boris senses who framed him and goes about finding them. He asks them "Why?" Apparently, their guilty consciences cause them - when confronted by the person whose death they caused - to be so terrified that they literally die in accidents while Boris sadly looks on because he didn't find out why they framed him. (This is only my interpretation so I'd be interested in knowing whether others saw it this way as well.) I don't remember another film where the motivation is honorable and not revenge or some other negative or "evil" motivation.

Geoff

Say what you will about schmaltz. One beauty of this film is that it is not pro-American. It is a morality about some Americans being called to high purpose and how they rose to the occasion. It is inspiring because it is about people of noble purpose.

To me, the most interesting part of the film is the education of Fanny and David Farrelly (Bette Davis' mother and brother). As Fanny says, "We've been shaken out of the magnolias."

In today's political climate where, led by a president who shamelessly lied to us and used 9/11 to bring out the absolute worst characteristics of human beings, we sunk to the level of the 9/11 murderers to seek blood-thirsty vengeance. It can't all be blamed on Mr. Bush - after all, we allowed him to lead us in that direction and even re-elected him after his lies had been exposed. Now, with complete justification, we Americans are reviled throughout the world.

Today, we watch this film with a new awareness: That the rise to power of Nazis in Germany was not due to a flaw in the German character, but, a flaw in human beings that allows us to rationalize anything that will justify our committing immoral and heinous acts. I'm not comparing George Bush to Adolph Hitler. But, I am pointing out how a leader can whip us up into a frenzy of terror, hatred, and hyper-nationalism to do despicable things.

Sadly, the blackmailer, who will do whatever needs to be done for his own agrandizement, no matter how immoral, is most like the leaders of our country, those who support them, and those who have buried their heads so deep in the sand, that they can't even be bothered to vote.

A film like Watch on the Rhine reminds us of what we once aspired to be - a force for the betterment of humanity - and that we have it in us to once again aspire to lofty goals.

Geoff

The style of the acting and photography make this film feel more like something done in the early 30's than something done in 1944.

The music adds to the feeling that the film was made earlier than 1944.

In fact, when I came here to look it up, I thought something wrong when I couldn't find a "Bluebeard" in the early 1930's other than a French short.

Not complaining, I enjoyed the film. But, I agree with another commenter that the constant and often inappropriate music is annoying.

I don't remember seeing any of the actors in this film before with the exception of Johm Carradine.

Geoff

Was Susan Strasberg over the top? Absolutely.

I made the mistake of not turning the TV off while preparing for bed and Stage Struck came on. I thought I'd just watch a moment or two and hit the sack.

Well, I watched the whole thing. I couldn't turn it off.

Susan Strasberg was most certainly over the top. But, the amazing feat was that Eva was not totally and completely obnoxious. Instead, she was lovely and thoroughly likable. (Unlike Katherine Hepburn who made Eva obnoxious in Morning Glory.)

I agree about the chemistry bit - there was none between Fonda and Strasberg. On the other hand, wasn't that the way it was supposed to be? They didn't end up as a couple in the end. Fonda clearly was infatuated with Eva, but what he really loved was her talent.

There wasn't any romance in the movie - it was more about never making the romantic connection. Fonda gets his hit, Plummer is now a director to match his success as a playwright, and Strasberg is launched as a potentially great star.

The beauty of it is that, because Fonda and Strasberg, and Plummer and Strasber only stuck their toes in the romantic waters, the movie ends with us knowing that the three of them will be great friends and that the truly obnoxious Rita Vernon as delightfully played by Joan Greenwood has been edged out by the much more appealing Eva.

There was great chemistry between Herbert Marshall and Susan Strasberg. That was the real romance in the film - they regarded each other with such warmth. Herbert Marshall went from "Who the Hell is this naive creature" to caring deeply for her.

I was pleased to read the comments of Andrew 31. I was a 28 year old adult and quite familiar with science fiction films and with science when I saw The Black Hole. I was awestruck. It is an incredible work of visual art. It is not so much a science fiction film as it is a magnificent piece of art and fantasy.

I never understood why The Black Hole was not a major success. When I left the theatre, I thought I had seen a true masterpiece of cinematic craft and beautiful visual presentation that set a new standard. Of course there were "errors". But, I thought that the creators of this film chose cinematic beauty and spectacle over more "believable" cinematography and plot. Remember, that we must suspend disbelief even for the most realistic of science fiction films. It's just that we are more used to suspending disbelief in some ways than others. And, we are not used to science fiction filmed for shear beauty.

It is nothing like any other science fiction film I have seen. I cannot recall another visually gorgeous science fiction film. Lots of spectacle, little beauty!

I found Dr. Reinhardt to be one of the most disturbing characters in science fiction and Maximillian, with the rotating can opener hands to be truly terrifying. The Black Hole hits some primal chords of violence, fear, life, death, coerced and tortured existence more typical of a horror film than science fiction.

I will readily admit that The Black Hole is an odd-bird that doesn't fit preconceived ideas of what science fiction should be.

But, ever since seeing this film, I have wanted to have dinner in Max Reinhardt's dining room with the Chippendale furniture, oriental carpets, and an entire wall and ceiling of glass open into outer space.

I generally prefer sci-fi that has an odd or new flair. So, I don't rank lots of good sci-fi in my favorites because it is simply the same old story done well.

Here are some of my favorite sci-fi films. You may look at this list and decide that I have no taste at all. Then, again you may understand why The Black Hole is at the top of my list! (I got carried away, sorry.) Bladerunner, Naked Lunch, Altered States, Star Wars (the first one), Dark City, The Matrix, Mars Attacks, Manchurian Candidate (Frank Sinatra), Starship Troopers, Fantastic Planet (European animation), Enemy Mine, The Day the Earth Stood Still, Brazil, 12 Monkeys, E. T., Fahrenheit 451, On the Beach, Back to the Future, The Dead Zone, Brainstorm, Strange Days, The Invisible Man (1933), Earth Girls are Easy, Alien, Andromeda Strain, Planet of the Apes (original), Barbarella, The Fly (1986), Gattaca, Superman (1978), Weird Science, Ghost Busters, Wolfe, I Come in Peace, The Time Machine (1960), Johnny Mnemonic, Zardoz, Last Starfighter, Slaughterhouse Five, Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands, Sphere, Stepford Wives (the original and the remake!), Virtuosity, Wargames, Cat People (1942), Village of the Damned (1960), and Wild in the Streets.

Great things about this movie: * Cary Grant is a delight to watch! And, quite funny. * It's a fun surprise when Mr. Sulu from Star Trek (George Takei) shows up as a Tokyo police captain. * Cary Grant is the match maker for the young folks, not an old letch in a relationship with a woman 1/3 his age. * Cary Grant is so secure in his marriage that he can tell his wife the whole story over the phone and she enjoys his antics along with him rather than getting jealous. * The humor isn't derived from misinformation as in most sex comedies.

This movie is a delight to watch - especially Cary Grant who's obviously having a great time making it.

I wonder if Cary knew this would be his last film when he made it?

If you weren't a teenager in the 60's , you may never get this movie.

I was 17, in college, and scared to death about what was going on in the world. The 60's were the hey-day for kids who thought adult idiots were destroying our country and planet. It isn't the first time that teens thought this. But, it may be the first time in history that teens and young adults took to the streets to stop the inevitable world destruction.

I'm not aware of another film that talked to us directly about what was bugging us unless it was Fritz the Cat.

Of course, Wild in the Streets has the look of a throw away teen flick - it was. Shelley Winters was right at home at her tackiest. Hal Holbrook and Ed Begley are stereotypically evil senators.

At one level Wild In the Streets was literally a battle cry for my generation. Within a few years, I had teemed up with Senator Max Cleland and was being tear-gassed in Washington DC protesting the Viet Nam War.

At another level, it is a satire of youthful exuberance, naivete, and the youthful thought that the world is new and in danger of extinction at any moment at the hands of clueless and evil adults. (Is there any generation that hasn't thought this?)

If nothing else, Wild in the Streets is worth seeing just for the scene in which the U. S. Congress is attempting to enact legislation while tripping on LSD.

If you weren't a teenager in the 60's , you may never get this movie.

I was 17, in college, and scared to death about what was going on in the world. The 60's were the hey-day for kids who thought adult idiots were destroying our country and planet. It isn't the first time that teens thought this. But, it may be the first time in history that teens and young adults took to the streets to stop the inevitable world destruction.

I'm not aware of another film that talked to us directly about what was bugging us unless it was Fritz the Cat.

Of course, Wild in the Streets has the look of a throw away teen flick - it was. Shelley Winters was right at home at her tackiest. Hal Holbrook and Ed Begley are stereotypically evil senators.

At one level Wild In the Streets was literally a battle cry for my generation. Within a few years, I had teemed up with Senator Max Cleland and was being tear-gassed in Washington DC protesting the Viet Nam War.

At another level, it is a satire of youthful exuberance, naivete, and the youthful thought that the world is new and in danger of extinction at any moment at the hands of clueless and evil adults. (Is there any generation that hasn't thought this?)

If nothing else, Wild in the Streets is worth seeing just for the scene in which the U. S. Congress is attempting to enact legislation while tripping on LSD.