saw COLONEL BLIMP for the first time and loved it. the methods deployed to show the passage of time in this film were marvelous and drolly comic, excepting the flipping of the memory book (where the last few pages are black.)
starting off with a valiant soldier type walking in on a seemingly pompous visual buffoon and then going back to deconstruct this buffoon and build him up again into an honorable if flawed figure is quite something. the casting of Deborah Kerr in the three roles could seem like a stunt elsewhere but it doesn't overplay its hand and her separate performances are subtly different enough that it doesn't come off like cheap magic realism. Livesey and Walbrook are both very funny and very touching together. The empathy for all the characters is itself quite moving, and the ending is perfect.
― omar little, Tuesday, 6 February 2018 19:44 (six years ago) link
i saw the red shoes for the first time a few weeks ago (it's the first film i've seen from them, the directors poll made me antsy about the gaps in my knowledge). it's... completely magnificent
― flamenco drop (BradNelson), Tuesday, 6 February 2018 19:49 (six years ago) link
picking Gone to Earth next because that's my favorite David Sylvian album.
lol i almost did this for the exact same reason
― flamenco drop (BradNelson), Tuesday, 6 February 2018 19:50 (six years ago) link
naah pick off the klassiks
― ice cream social justice (Dr Morbius), Tuesday, 6 February 2018 19:51 (six years ago) link
P&P and Fassbinder were two top 10'ers I was thrilled made it as high as they did.
― "Minneapolis" (barf) (Eric H.), Tuesday, 6 February 2018 19:52 (six years ago) link
A Canterbury Tale and I Know Where I'm Going are two must views.
I'm probably going to buy all the P&Ps on Criterion.
Black Narcissus remains one of my top five favorite films of all time.
― omar little, Tuesday, 6 February 2018 19:53 (six years ago) link
I'm hoping that A Matter of Life and Death with get a Criterion blu-ray release this summer... seems likely!
― erry red flag (f. hazel), Tuesday, 6 February 2018 20:06 (six years ago) link
for sure, they just ran a 4K at Film Forum in NY
― ice cream social justice (Dr Morbius), Tuesday, 6 February 2018 20:08 (six years ago) link
Theo walking away from Clive in the POW camp, as Mendelssohn's Hebrides Overture starts up, killed me on last rewatch.
― jmm, Tuesday, 6 February 2018 20:37 (six years ago) link
oh that is fantastic news! though I suppose I wouldn't otherwise have ever seen Age of Consent if it hadn't been paired with AMOLAD on the DVD
you can't go wrong with any of the classic Archers. I might recommend a b&w one if you've just seen Red Shoes or Blimp, so Eric otm
― rob, Tuesday, 6 February 2018 20:40 (six years ago) link
Age of Consent!
― morning wood truancy (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Tuesday, 6 February 2018 20:41 (six years ago) link
Wild, huh? Here's Kehr on the set: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/06/movies/homevideo/06dvds.html
reading that made me want to rewatch the opening to AMOLAD immediately
― rob, Tuesday, 6 February 2018 20:46 (six years ago) link
I need to watch it again. Parts of it reminded me of the Lubitsch Heaven Can Wait, which was too aw-shucks for me.
― morning wood truancy (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Tuesday, 6 February 2018 20:48 (six years ago) link
if you mean AMOLAD, it does drag in the final act with the big trial (Heaven Can Wait is a bit slow too, especially for Lubitsch), but I love the set up and everything that happens on Earth. And Livesey's camera obscura is quintessential P&P visual bravura: http://www.tcm.com/mediaroom/video/1075290/Matter-Of-Life-And-Death-A-Movie-Clip-Camera-Obscura.html. Also fun to see Marius Goring in such a different role from Red Shoes.
if you meant Age of Consent... I don't remember much of it
― rob, Tuesday, 6 February 2018 21:00 (six years ago) link
I watched Criterion's blu-ray of AMOLAD last night and it is absolutely stunning--the upgrade really brings home what a visual achievement it is. What I said in my previous post about the trial still stands, but the rest is pure joy.
I've only watched the first 20 minutes, but there's also an odd but compelling special feature, a 1986 episode of the South Bank Show, that functions as something of a miniature adaptation of A Life in Movies.
― rob, Sunday, 6 January 2019 18:06 (five years ago) link
enjoyed Black Narcissus but didn't like The Red Shoes as much
― Dan S, Tuesday, 6 August 2019 01:27 (four years ago) link
The Small Back Room was on tv over the weekend. I've not watched it yet and can't remember if I've seen it before.
― koogs, Tuesday, 6 August 2019 01:52 (four years ago) link
If you saw it I think you would have remembered it.
― Another Fule Clickin’ In Your POLL (James Redd and the Blecchs), Tuesday, 6 August 2019 02:01 (four years ago) link
The Small Back Room is the next film of theirs I'm planning to watch
― Dan S, Tuesday, 6 August 2019 02:05 (four years ago) link
yes, then read my archived review.
― a Mets fan who gave up on everything in the mid '80s (Dr Morbius), Tuesday, 6 August 2019 02:42 (four years ago) link
NYers: The Small Back Room is showing at the Film Forum on August 26, part of Marty Scorsese & Jay Cocks' double feature festival (paired w/ the '26 silent The Magician)
― Josefa, Tuesday, 6 August 2019 16:37 (four years ago) link
half an hour into SBR and it's still not ringing any bells.
― koogs, Tuesday, 13 August 2019 19:09 (four years ago) link
saw The Red Shoes again. the hyper-stylization annoyed me at first, but I was more drawn in seeing it again. the climactic ballet sequence was beautiful
watched The Small Back Room today. I liked your review Morbs
― Dan S, Sunday, 25 August 2019 00:05 (four years ago) link
Thanks. As I still own the Bluray, I may not make the NYC screening (tho I need to see that silent), but we'll see.
― a Mets fan who gave up on everything in the mid '80s (Dr Morbius), Sunday, 25 August 2019 07:13 (four years ago) link
don't have anything to add to the discussion about A Canterbury Tale except to say that I just saw it now for the first time and enjoyed it
― Dan S, Sunday, 1 September 2019 22:57 (four years ago) link
liked hearing the Toccata and Fugue in the cathedral near the end
― Dan S, Sunday, 1 September 2019 23:48 (four years ago) link
I rewatched A Matter of Life and Death and had no memory that the first person Niven meets after his bailout is a nude shepherd boy (cut for US release btw).
My favorite detail of that great first Niven-Kim Hunter scene is that he's cracking bad jokes while he's using his last moments to quote every poet he can think of. "Andy Marvell, what a marvel!"
My only caveats are that all that US vs UK stuff in the celestial trial is just weird now (apparently the film office asked them to make a film about Yank-Brit unity), and
SPOILER
you can see Roger Livesey's death coming from his second scene.
― a Mets fan who gave up on everything in the mid '80s (Dr Morbius), Wednesday, 4 September 2019 01:21 (four years ago) link
Bbc2 have been showing a few of these as matinees (and a bunch of other decent b&w films as well *)
Life and death todayRiver plate on SaturdayBlimp on Monday
(* Wooden horse, 633 squadron, triple cross, Odette, man who never was)
― koogs, Wednesday, 4 September 2019 02:37 (four years ago) link
nude shepherd boy, hmm
haven't seen it yet
― Dan S, Wednesday, 4 September 2019 02:42 (four years ago) link
The number of nude shepherd boys I was exposed to my fully clothed boy life astonishes me to this day.
― Pauline Male (Eric H.), Wednesday, 4 September 2019 03:03 (four years ago) link
lol
― Dan S, Wednesday, 4 September 2019 03:20 (four years ago) link
(apparently the film office asked them to make a film about Yank-Brit unity)
― Fizzles, Wednesday, 4 September 2019 06:11 (four years ago) link
really liked Peeping Tom
― Dan S, Friday, 4 October 2019 03:24 (four years ago) link
Talking Pictures TVThu 16 Apr 202002:20The Wild Heart 1952. Drama. Directed by Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger. Stars Jennifer Jones, David Farrar & Cyril Cusack. Hazel, a child of nature, turns to a book of spells and charms when she has problems.
(this, is turns out, is Gone To Earth, which is one i haven't seen)
― koogs, Monday, 13 April 2020 15:24 (four years ago) link
A different cut of Gone to Earth iirc. It's been on Talking Pictures before so there's a good chance it'll be on at a more reasonable time in the future. Haven't watched it right thru either.
― où sont les threads d'antan? (Noodle Vague), Monday, 13 April 2020 15:29 (four years ago) link
Consequently, Selznick had the film re-edited and some extra scenes shot in Hollywood under director Rouben Mamoulian to make the version known as The Wild Heart (1952). Selznick's changes were mostly additions to the film: a prologue; scenes explaining things, often literally, by putting labels or inscriptions on them; and more close-ups of his wife, Jennifer Jones.
There's a bit more, but spoilers so I left it out.
― où sont les threads d'antan? (Noodle Vague), Monday, 13 April 2020 15:37 (four years ago) link
the accents in that film are both charming and all over the place
― avellano medio inglés (f. hazel), Monday, 13 April 2020 15:41 (four years ago) link
watching The Battle Of The River Plate on bbc2. they are issuing commands on the boat using a bugle, different tunes for different commands.
― koogs, Thursday, 23 December 2021 14:54 (two years ago) link
Kathleen Byron's birthday today.
― Farewell to Evening in Paradise (James Redd and the Blecchs), Wednesday, 11 January 2023 21:41 (one year ago) link
Well, had a chance to see -- for the first time even -- the restored Red Shoes just now at the local Alamo as a one off. Hell of a thing.
― Ned Raggett, Sunday, 15 January 2023 22:59 (one year ago) link
:)
― The Gate of Angels Laundromat (James Redd and the Blecchs), Sunday, 15 January 2023 23:22 (one year ago) link
Every time I watch it, it gets better
― عباس کیارستمی (Eric H.), Sunday, 15 January 2023 23:24 (one year ago) link
and for a while it was my least favorite P&P.
― Malevolent Arugula (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Sunday, 15 January 2023 23:40 (one year ago) link
That’d be 49th Parallel for me (a perfectly good movie)
― عباس کیارستمی (Eric H.), Sunday, 15 January 2023 23:48 (one year ago) link
Oh! Right. Olivier.
― Malevolent Arugula (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Sunday, 15 January 2023 23:53 (one year ago) link
Saw Thelma Schoonmaker talk Powell at the BFI yesterday - she showed a few clips, including one from an adaptation of Bartok's Bluebeard, upcoming on blu and BFI Player, which Powell did for a German company after Peeping Tom and which looks absolutely stunning, a real Mario Bava/Hammer horror colour palette and fascinating to see them reach for the same sumptousness of their big productions on a shoestring budget.
There's also a book out, an exhibition (Scorsese loaned the Red Shoes!) and of course they're showing tons of their movies, including a lot of early quota quickies.
― Daniel_Rf, Friday, 27 October 2023 10:25 (six months ago) link
RYNOX?
― My Prelapsarian Baby (James Redd and the Blecchs), Friday, 27 October 2023 11:33 (six months ago) link
What?
― Daniel_Rf, Friday, 27 October 2023 12:20 (six months ago) link
It's showing on 10 Nov https://whatson.bfi.org.uk/Online/default.asp?BOparam::WScontent::loadArticle::permalink=rynoxhotelsplendide
― Piedie Gimbel, Friday, 27 October 2023 12:26 (six months ago) link