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Post by Deleted on Mar 19, 2015 14:19:58 GMT
Never mind, I found one. Ah, the beauty of the internet.
Vintage Article
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Post by rmichaelpyle on Mar 19, 2015 20:33:17 GMT
Ah, yes, that's the one. Beatriz, by the way, although a beauty, plays the character "rough", even more rough than brassy, and, for who she was in real life, portrayed the character very well, unless she was like that in real life, too. Who knows?...
Interesting newspaper review, too. Thanks!
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Post by rmichaelpyle on Mar 20, 2015 13:08:30 GMT
I watched "Ride the Pink Horse" (1947), a new Criterion release, directed by and starring Robert Montgomery. In some respects, this is the definition of film-noir. Interesting, however, is that it doesn't take place in a big city; rather, it takes place in San Pablo, New Mexico. Several noirs of the late forties, early fifties have protagonists leaving America and traveling south to Mexico or near its environs. What is also interesting about this particular film is that it was actually filmed in northern New Mexico rather than in the south, and, in fact, the La Fonda Hotel in several of its scenes is a historic hotel in Santa Fe. Also of note in the film are Wanda Hendrix, Thomas Gomez, Art Smith, and Fred Clark. Hendrix is fascinating to watch as the innocent tagalong of two older, very rural girls who've come to town to watch the year's La Fiesta. She instantly falls for Montgomery when she sees him. Montgomery in this one is also interesting to watch, recreating some of the posture he used in "Night Must Fall" ten years earlier, although the character itself, a mixture of tough and naïve, a sort of blackmailer/revenger, trying to get money from con man Fred Clark after Montgomery's friend, Shorty, has been killed in a similar scheme, is not a homicidal maniac. During a knife attack on himself, however, Montgomery is forced to kill his adversary, but this is the stuff of noir.
The atmosphere of this film is truly noirish and wonderful. One will be surprised, perhaps, by some of the brutality that occurs during the film, especially the beating that takes place against Thomas Gomez while a number of children watch helplessly from a merry-go-round that won't stop. Montgomery captured the essence of place extremely well here, too. In doing so, he also captured the essence of the novel upon which the film is based. The novel was written by Dorothy B. Hughes, a writer of pulp fiction noted for place and toughness of her characters. Probably her novel of most note was In A Lonely Place, a book which, when turned into a movie, allowed Humphrey Bogart to give perhaps his finest performance.
Each of the film's main characters is allowed to develop a characterization of rich notoriety, although, curiously, in the end, each remains still opaque. It's the struggle all the way through the movie to figure out who is what and what is happening that keeps one riveted to the screen. The baddie of the piece is Fred Clark. He's surrounded by really bad characters, too. His girl is Andrea King, a character star of the forties and early fifties who just seemed to fade from films, but then reincarnated herself in television, most notably in "Perry Mason" and detective TV. His henchmen include John Doucette, a film personality nobody seems to know by name, but a face and demeanor nearly any film fan will instantly recognize and know, "He's a bad one!!" Thomas Gomez gives a bravura performance as the Mexicali merry-go-round owner who befriends Montgomery when he needs him most. Gomez' performance earned him an Oscar nomination for "Best Supporting Actor", and he richly deserved it! One of the film's most interesting characters is that of the government agent who's looking to pin a rap on Clark. He's played by Art Smith, an actor who constantly turns up in late forties, early fifties noir. You may remember him in the Bogart noir already mentioned, "In A Lonely Place".
The story in this film isn't as important as the character development - which, in the end, IS the story. Elizabeth Montgomery considered this film one of her father's masterpieces. She was correct. If you're into noir at all, this new release from Criterion (I just received my DVD a couple of days ago) is well worth a look. I'll watch this one again soon just for the atmosphere. My favorite of all noirs is the Robert Mitchum film, "Out of the Past" (1947), followed by the Bogart piece "In A Lonely Place" (1950). But now I'll add this to the pantheon of my favorite noirs. I always think of Charles McGraw, Robert Mitchum, and Richard Widmark when it comes to great noir, but it seems that Montgomery had a [minor] knack for it, too. Only the year before he'd directed and acted in the very experimental "Lady in the Lake" (1946). The only other independently directed noir films I think as good, and stylish anyway, might be Edgar G. Ulmer with "Detour" and a couple of later ones, and then Ida Lupino's fifties showpieces, "The Hitchhiker" and "The Bigamist", followed up in 1958 with Orson Welles' masterpiece, "Touch of Evil".
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Post by dash on Mar 20, 2015 17:42:34 GMT
Interesting review. I can't really visualize Montgomery in a Noir. I've only seen him in lighter roles.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 20, 2015 21:52:02 GMT
I think he made some noir-ish type films as early as the 30's, ie. Night Must Fall ("I'm the one who WATCHES!")
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Post by rmichaelpyle on Mar 22, 2015 12:50:59 GMT
I watched "Beyond the Border" (1925), a really good silent oater with Harry Carey, Sr., Mildred Harris, William Scott, Tom Santschi, and Jack Richardson, among others. Plotting here is not as standard as many of the "B"s that were churned out like fodder. Carey chases after, and catches, an outlaw. However, he's been gone from town where he's sheriff long enough to have some baddies set up an election where he's voted out as sheriff - and some really nasty stuff can go on. He comes back with his prisoner in time to discover all this. Meanwhile, the prisoner's sister shows up after their mother has died. Things get complicated. Carey really has to use his wiles to get everything straightened out. At 58 minutes, this charges to the end. Satisfactory all the way. Some cute humor along the way, too. Victor Potel as a hotel guest who we think has small pox is truly funny... Smallpox funny? Watch and see... You may remember the name Mildred Harris as the very young (aged 17) wife of Charles Chaplin for 2½ years a few years before this. (She's historically remembered most, however, as the person who introduced the Duke of Windsor/Prince of Wales/future Edward VIII to Wallis Simpson!) Always a good film with Tom Santschi in it; he's usually up to no good. And Jack Richardson was a baddie as far back as Broncho Billy films. Nothing's changed here as he replaces Harry Carey as sheriff in a rigged election... I swear, when Harry Carey, Sr. came out of the womb he was an old man! He looked nearly the same from 1917 until he died. And he can ride a horse, too - he may not be Yakima Canutt, but he's a genuine cowboy, and his riding's superb! This is available through Alpha Video and is a very decent print.
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Post by rmichaelpyle on Mar 26, 2015 12:08:50 GMT
Flanagan and Allen were once as well known in Britain - and respected as well! - as the Tower of London. Well, their type of humor was once enjoyed, too. Today, a minute of Flanagan may be 59 seconds too many for a few. Or, it may be just the cup of tea for which one seeks... What a mouth of words! Watched "The Bailiffs" (1932) last night, a 25 minute short that was the first film of Bud Flanagan altogether, and the first, as a result, showing his pairing on screen with Chesney Allen, a bumbling Scot who made his first film in 1910. Absolutely insane humor, there's nothing that, at moments, isn't the definition of "surreal". In fact, this film is surreal. The only thing that brings it back to a normal plane on planet Earth is - well, maybe there isn't anything... The two play bailiffs of the court who go looking for people who haven't paid their rent - so those people can be evicted. That's the premise. Well, try to find that premise played upon in this film! Available on the Brit release "The Ealing Studios Rarities Collection", Volume 12. It was a different world and time...
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Post by rmichaelpyle on Mar 26, 2015 12:22:31 GMT
Re-watched "The Trial of Mary Dugan" (1929) with Norma Shearer, Lewis Stone, H. B. Warner, Raymond Hackett, Olive Tell, Lilyan Tashman, DeWitt Jennings, and many others. This film never ceases to amaze me for the quality of the show! Great courtroom drama, one of the very best ever made. H. B. Warner shines as he never shined, even in his silent glory in "King of Kings". Norma shows why she became queen of the lot, even if she was married to Irving Thalberg...
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Post by Deleted on Mar 26, 2015 17:38:19 GMT
Yup, she would have succeeded all on her own, anyway, despite being married to Thalberg.
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Post by rmichaelpyle on Mar 27, 2015 12:29:41 GMT
I watched one of the finest poverty row productions I've ever seen. "Inner Sanctum" (1948) with Charles Russell, Mary Beth Hughes, Dale Belding, Billy House, Lee Patrick, Nana Bryant, Fritz Leiber, and Roscoe Ates will remind anyone over fifty-five exactly as if they were watching one of Rod Serling's "Twilight Zone" TV shows. Exactly. A ride on a train by a lady has fascinating consequences - as predicted by a seer... Well acted, directed, and cut, the only complaint most have about this one is its short length - a couple of minutes more than an hour. By the way, there's another version out there at only 52 minutes. This one is on a DVD from Grapevine - and inexpensive - with "The Phantom of 42nd Street", another mid-forties noir style that's also decent viewing.
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Post by rmichaelpyle on Mar 28, 2015 16:54:34 GMT
I've begun watching "Upstairs, Downstairs" (1971-5) again, and am enjoying it as much as when it first came out. We watched two episodes last night, and, as there are 66 episodes, it's going to take a couple of months to get through it. What a pleasure... The DVD prints are impeccably produced. I've only watched them once before years ago, but they've held up well. I was one of the original watchers when the show came out, too. It began just before I met my future wife. Can't believe it's that long ago already. Seems like yesterday. First episode was in color. Second went to black and white; several of the first season episodes were in black and white due to a technical staff pay dispute.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 28, 2015 21:41:40 GMT
I've had the DVD sets for Upstairs, Downstairs and Duchess of Duke Street and Lilli and the b/w The Forsyte Saga and Flambards for many years, my 5 top classic British television shows from the late 60's through 70's . Always great to go back to them. They are why I cannot bring myself to start Downton Abbey, I would never have the same passion for it as I have for the classics.
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Post by rmichaelpyle on Mar 29, 2015 17:23:44 GMT
I watched "Glorifying the American Girl" (1929) again. With Mary Eaton, Dan Healy, Kaye Renard, Edward Crandell, Gloria Shea, and Sarah Edwards, and with cameos by many, including performing cameos by Rudy Vallee, Helen Morgan, and Eddie Cantor, this is the perfect vehicle to see how the transition from silent to sound went. It is an historic piece, if ever there was one. It has several problems, too, unfortunately, but that's the way it is: for example, the scenes where Technicolor is introduced are so washed out (at least in the print I have from Synergy) that rather than seeing even the faintest color, the entire picture looks dim and faded, nearly white; the cutting is erratic and no doubt has been from the outset, not the print being butchered, although it's obvious that several parts are short several frames; and there are technical things that show up just because it WAS the transitional time. BUT - compared to my old VHS print, which was considerably shorter, and whose sound was irritatingly bad enough to nearly not be something to listen to, this is really a good print. I enjoyed the story, the acting (most of it, anyway), the dancing, and even some of the songs. A couple of the songs were mediocre at best, but a couple of others were keepers, and they were all performed rather well. Rudy Vallee in his cameo was a bore, frankly, and Eddie Cantor went on far, far too long, although the performance was really well done: it's obvious that trends have changed - not everybody today will put up with Cantor, although I admit to really liking him. Helen Morgan was super! What became so apparent to me is how the Vaudeville was so similar to the boards over in England in the music halls. Ours were just a lot more expensively put on for the customer - at least when put on by Florenz Ziegfeld! Same kind of humor, just American instead of British; same dancing, just more pizazz from Ziegfeld in the form of the ladies - although I've seen the same kind of costuming in some of the early 30's British musicals, too - the scanty kind, that is, NOT the embellished kind!
Anyway, nice to re-visit this relic, and that's what it is. Should be seen by all at some time or other - if there's a genuine interest in the history of early sound film. This IS history, and it plays as such. By the way, catch Cantor's Jewish humor. Do you think it would be PC today?
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Post by Deleted on Mar 30, 2015 1:13:45 GMT
I bought that on VHS over a decade ago but could barely get through it.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 31, 2015 0:26:29 GMT
"Taxi, miss? Cheapest rates in Glen Cove!"
"A woman happily in love she burns the soufflé. A woman unhappily in love she forgets to turn on the oven."
"Democracy can be a wickedly unfair thing, Sabrina. Nobody poor was ever called democratic for marrying somebody rich."
"All columnists should be beaten to a pulp and converted back into paper!"
"I wish I were dead with my back broken."
"Look at me. Joe College with a touch of arthritis."
After many years I re-watched 1954's Sabrina with Bogie, Audrey, Bill, and an outstanding ensemble cast of character actors. It's on Instant Netflix and I've never seen a better print. It is so HD - Blu-ray quality that I grinned from ear to ear; it was a joy to watch. When I think of the countless times I watched it on yucky VHS quality I just have to laugh. Thank GOD for better technology. I recited 90% of the lines correctly, amazing my daughter Tina. LOL! I even remembered the name of the goldfish ... George.
Alison and I grew up right next to Glen Cove, Long Island where it was made and would ride our bikes to the Prybil estate where it was filmed and sneak on the property and gaze into the indoor tennis courts, imagining Audrey in her various scenes with Bill and Bogie; those were the days. This film and Portrait of Jennie were both Alison and my favorite movies, and we would watch them over and over again. Third on the list of our favorites would be James Mason in The Seventh Veil.
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