― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Thursday, 1 September 2005 18:32 (eighteen years ago) link
The African Queen is one of those official 'classics' that doesn't do much for me. Hepburn's first major irritating perf, and there would be no legend of Bogart if he had more roles like that. I prefer the gravity of Clint Eastwood's film a clef about its preproduction.
I find Sierra Madre slightly overrated too -- hstencil and I were discussing it on the G train last night -- save for Alfonso Bedoya and Walter H.
― Dr Morbius (Dr Morbius), Thursday, 1 September 2005 19:23 (eighteen years ago) link
― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Thursday, 1 September 2005 19:25 (eighteen years ago) link
― Alfred Soto (Alfred Soto), Thursday, 1 September 2005 19:43 (eighteen years ago) link
even it's a wonderful life?
― J.D. (Justyn Dillingham), Thursday, 1 September 2005 21:20 (eighteen years ago) link
― Alfred Soto (Alfred Soto), Thursday, 1 September 2005 22:12 (eighteen years ago) link
― scott seward (scott seward), Thursday, 1 September 2005 22:28 (eighteen years ago) link
― Dave B (daveb), Thursday, 1 September 2005 22:45 (eighteen years ago) link
Lionel Barrymore's OK pre-decrepitude (eg, Grand Hotel) tho his brother John said he thought of him whenever he played Richard III (for the appropriate ham quotient).
― Dr Morbius (Dr Morbius), Friday, 2 September 2005 13:02 (eighteen years ago) link
http://moma.org/exhibitions/film_media/2006/huston_family.html
I've not seen A Walk with Love and Death, which intrigues me for teenage Anjelica alone.
― Dr Morbius (Dr Morbius), Wednesday, 26 July 2006 12:31 (seventeen years ago) link
― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn (Alfred Soto), Wednesday, 26 July 2006 12:36 (seventeen years ago) link
― Dr Morbius (Dr Morbius), Wednesday, 26 July 2006 12:39 (seventeen years ago) link
― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn (Alfred Soto), Wednesday, 26 July 2006 13:52 (seventeen years ago) link
― Dr Morbius (Dr Morbius), Wednesday, 26 July 2006 14:23 (seventeen years ago) link
― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn (Alfred Soto), Monday, 31 July 2006 22:23 (seventeen years ago) link
― Aimless (Aimless), Monday, 31 July 2006 23:24 (seventeen years ago) link
― J.D. (Justyn Dillingham), Tuesday, 1 August 2006 05:15 (seventeen years ago) link
― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn (Alfred Soto), Tuesday, 1 August 2006 22:34 (seventeen years ago) link
how is the "real" White Hunter/Black Heart - Roots of Heaven??? I like Juliette Greco (so did daryl zanuck).
― timmy tannin (pompous), Wednesday, 2 August 2006 05:02 (seventeen years ago) link
― Dr Morbius (Dr Morbius), Wednesday, 2 August 2006 12:57 (seventeen years ago) link
― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn (Alfred Soto), Wednesday, 2 August 2006 14:26 (seventeen years ago) link
― Dr Morbius (Dr Morbius), Monday, 28 August 2006 13:36 (seventeen years ago) link
― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn (Alfred Soto), Monday, 28 August 2006 13:43 (seventeen years ago) link
I just find WH/BH more entertaining and honest than Unforgiven, Million Dollar Baby ... or The African Queen.
Are you claiming Bogie as black (or is there something I'm forgetting)?
― gabbneb (gabbneb), Monday, 28 August 2006 14:46 (seventeen years ago) link
Beat the Devil is a hoot, a shaggydog story. It's not a great film or anything. I remember liking Iguana the one time I saw it, but what I remember best is Burton's opening church-clearing scene in the pulpit.
I'm planning on the teen Anjelica movie Wednesday.
― Dr Morbius (Dr Morbius), Monday, 28 August 2006 14:57 (seventeen years ago) link
― Jay Vee's Return (Manon_69), Monday, 28 August 2006 15:18 (seventeen years ago) link
Took me forever to finally see The Asphalt Jungle. I have a dim memory of the Buffalo ABC affiliate showing it periodically through the '70s, and that the print was one of those garishly overlit ones that made it look like an Ed Wood film.
Anyway, thought it was excellent. Agree that it's not quite up to the level of The Killing (or White Heat, my other favourite heist film). But so many memorable performances: Hayden being Hayden, Louis Calhern's suave resignation, Sam Jaffe's courtliness, Marc Lawrence sweating bullets. The photography's as good as it gets for noir (Harold Rosson--can't say I recognize the name, but he also did Singin' in the Rain). Strange ending.
― clemenza, Saturday, 13 April 2013 13:28 (eleven years ago) link
Anyone ever seen Monty Clift as Freud?― Dr Morbius (Dr Morbius), Monday, August 28, 2006 10:36 AM (8 years ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
super curious about this!
― tender is the late-night daypart (schlump), Monday, 20 July 2015 17:20 (eight years ago) link
Has ILX ever polled Huston's films?
― Aimless, Monday, 20 July 2015 17:29 (eight years ago) link
Just saw the newly uncovered, original cut of Beat the Devil -- sans the opening Bogart narration and with some needless trims restored. Even goofier than I remembered; only in a couple places you can see shots a la Asphalt Jungle that could come from the 'straight thriller' it was originally intended as, before Capote came on board to write. Never mind Jennifer Jones, Lorre, Morley, even the guy playing the boat purser is hilarious.
― Supercreditor (Dr Morbius), Thursday, 23 February 2017 04:54 (seven years ago) link
What's the consensus on The Dead? Had little faith anyone could really capture the ~mood~ of that story, particularly the ending, but I think he did it.
― circa1916, Thursday, 23 February 2017 04:59 (seven years ago) link
yep
― Supercreditor (Dr Morbius), Thursday, 23 February 2017 13:16 (seven years ago) link
any "Myra Breckinridge" opinions?
― Wet Pelican would provide the soundtrack (Myonga Vön Bontee), Thursday, 23 February 2017 13:29 (seven years ago) link
"More champagne?"
― the Rain Man of nationalism. (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 23 February 2017 13:50 (seven years ago) link
Morbs, based on your posting time, you have a knack for going to the exact screenings I was planning on going to before running just slightly too late to overcome train delays. Second time this has happened in the last couple weeks I think! Gonna hit up BtD today though, am stoked.
― tales of a scorched-earth nothing (Doctor Casino), Thursday, 23 February 2017 15:26 (seven years ago) link
catch me if you can, Dr C
― Supercreditor (Dr Morbius), Thursday, 23 February 2017 15:51 (seven years ago) link
I went on Tuesday. Third ilxor is the charm.
― Disco Blecch and His Exo-Planettes (James Redd and the Blecchs), Thursday, 23 February 2017 16:31 (seven years ago) link
Yeah Beat the Devil is a hoot - totally pointless plot-wise, just establishing a space where, as HOOS said of The Usual Suspects, we get to watch that awesome cast fuck around for 90 mins so big up that flick. Bunch of character actors playing characters who put on characters, it's fun just watching them be in scenes together. Morley's every line is a delight and Jennifer Jones - who I think I've only ever seen in The Towering Inferno as Fred Astaire's love interest with the cheap death - was hilarious and hypnotic.
Caveat: I could have seeeeriously done without the North African digression and all its "oh but surprise, the stern-faced local bigwig... is actually a fan of Rita Hayworth!!!" latter-day Orientalist yuks. That's the period for you, but it does make me a little less likely to recommend the film to someone.
― tales of a scorched-earth nothing (Doctor Casino), Friday, 24 February 2017 01:56 (seven years ago) link
I wish you hadn't mentioned that other movie.
― Disco Blecch and His Exo-Planettes (James Redd and the Blecchs), Friday, 24 February 2017 02:17 (seven years ago) link
I used to teach The Dead in the early '00s when I asked my intro to lit class to read Dubliners. It's more than an honorable try: the Gretta/Gabriel confrontation is as moving as it needs to be.
― the Rain Man of nationalism. (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Friday, 24 February 2017 03:45 (seven years ago) link
Also: Prizzi's Honor hasn't survived its (inexplicable) reputation as an '80s Oscar prestige flick, despite how successfully it mixes tones.
― the Rain Man of nationalism. (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Friday, 24 February 2017 03:47 (seven years ago) link
Sorry, didn't like it that much at the time either
― Disco Blecch and His Exo-Planettes (James Redd and the Blecchs), Friday, 24 February 2017 05:03 (seven years ago) link
love it
― Supercreditor (Dr Morbius), Friday, 24 February 2017 12:24 (seven years ago) link
Alfred, its "prestige" element had mostly to do with Anjelica and Dad working together for the second (and first successful) time, her Ex-Boyfriend's presence (told by the director "Everything you've done til now has been informed by your intelligence -- we can't have any of that"), and maybe a little of the Richard Condon revival (I think Manchurian Candidate had just been brought out of the vaults after a 20-year suppression).
― Supercreditor (Dr Morbius), Friday, 24 February 2017 12:44 (seven years ago) link
Oh I'm aware of that. Apparently the old buzzard had to gently explain to Nicholson, "Jack, it's a comedy."
― the Rain Man of nationalism. (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Friday, 24 February 2017 13:35 (seven years ago) link
What about Bill Hickey?
― Nesta Leaps In (James Redd and the Blecchs), Friday, 24 February 2017 14:24 (seven years ago) link
"You want a cookie?"
― the Rain Man of nationalism. (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Friday, 24 February 2017 14:27 (seven years ago) link
the Self-Styled Siren on Devil -- i have to admit i didn't think to look for evidence of Bogart's varying teeth (car accident), but he looks like hell in some scenes more than others.
Jones wrote to Selznick, "Certainly my character has no reality of any kind and whether she is comedy, tragedy, or something 'bourgeois' I haven’t a notion." !!!
http://www.filmcomment.com/blog/beat-the-devil/
― Supercreditor (Dr Morbius), Friday, 24 February 2017 17:40 (seven years ago) link
Two of the many things I liked about Beat The Devil:The cinematography by Oswald Mosley Morris, with help from cameraman Freddie FrancisRobert Morley's stuff, presumably ad-libbed by him some of the time, such as "Neptune's mixture!"
― Nesta Leaps In (James Redd and the Blecchs), Saturday, 25 February 2017 17:21 (seven years ago) link
"Now, breathe deeply. Remember, every breath is a guinea in the bank of health"
― Nesta Leaps In (James Redd and the Blecchs), Saturday, 25 February 2017 17:22 (seven years ago) link
yes and she's startling
― the Rain Man of nationalism. (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 29 March 2017 12:41 (seven years ago) link
My keepers. Freud is stilted as hell, camp in places ( “You’re the only doctor in the world who asks such questions!” Freud: “In the world perhaps.”)
― So who you gonna call? The martini police (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 4 August 2021 01:12 (two years ago) link
I'd been meaning to see Fat City for about 30 years and finally did. It's very strong, and I almost immediately wanted to rewatch several scenes.
Susan Tyrell's performance is the type that makes you think, "this has the quality of an Oscar-nominated performance" and then you look it up and find out it was an Oscar-nominated performance.It's crazy that she was only 26 in this movie - she comes across as a very convincing 40-something barfly.
― Josefa, Wednesday, 4 August 2021 13:47 (two years ago) link
I know the 70s were a different time but I was surprised when I learned Fat City did well at the box office.
― Chris L, Wednesday, 4 August 2021 15:22 (two years ago) link
It was Richard Dawson (of Family Feud)'s favorite film
― Josefa, Wednesday, 4 August 2021 15:38 (two years ago) link
I don't why the scene where Stacey Keach prepares a supper of boot leather steak with cold peas straight from the tin sticks me so much, but it's a classic of the genre.
― calzino, Wednesday, 4 August 2021 16:29 (two years ago) link
With ketchup! But did he not heat the peas inside the can? I wasn't sure. Even that would be odd to me.
― Josefa, Wednesday, 4 August 2021 16:46 (two years ago) link
I think he just poured them straight out cold unless I'm remembering it wrong! It reminds me a bit of my mum telling me when she was living in a scummy bedsit in the early 60's without a cooker and resorted to heating a tin of beans in a constantly boiling electric kettle.
― calzino, Wednesday, 4 August 2021 16:53 (two years ago) link
i also enjoyed "fat city." it's got the '70s thing where it has one pop song that it reuses over and over in different versions throughout, which i always appreciate. it's very faithful to the excellent source novel, so if you liked the movie, you might want to read the book too.
rocky had to have been directly influenced by it, right? very similar in being low-key blue-collar character studies disguised as boxing movies
― na (NA), Thursday, 5 August 2021 14:08 (two years ago) link
happy birthday, John!
― So who you gonna call? The martini police (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 5 August 2021 14:11 (two years ago) link
The Kris Kristofferson song works perfectly in Fat City. I was noticing how some Mexican-type horns enter the arrangement when Keach goes off picking fruit with the migrant workers and thought, this is a director (or whoever was responsible) who knows how to use music.
― Josefa, Thursday, 5 August 2021 14:51 (two years ago) link
Thanks for pushing me to read the novel; my local bookstore had a copy.
― So who you gonna call? The martini police (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 5 August 2021 15:04 (two years ago) link
it's very faithful to the excellent source novel
this was always Huston's signature move
― it is to laugh, like so, ha! (Aimless), Thursday, 5 August 2021 17:28 (two years ago) link
whoa:
Under the then-extant rules, Stacy Keach should have been awarded Best Actor from the New York Film Critics Circle for his portrayal of Tully because it required only a plurality of the vote. Keach was the top vote-getter for Best Actor. At the time, the NYCC was second in prestige only to the Academy Awards and was a major influence on subsequent Oscar nominations. A vocal faction of the NYFCC, dismayed by the rather low percentage of votes that would have given Keach the award, successfully demanded a rule change so that the winner would have to obtain a majority. In subsequent balloting, Keach failed to win a majority of the vote, and he lost ground to the performance of Marlon Brando in The Godfather. However, Brando could not gain a majority either. As a compromise candidate, Laurence Olivier in Sleuth eventually was awarded Best Actor.
Coincidentally, director John Huston had initially wanted Brando to play the role of Tully. When Brando informed Huston repeatedly that he needed some more time to think about it, Huston finally came to the conclusion that the star wasn't really interested and looked for another actor until he finally cast the then relatively unknown Keach.
― So who you gonna call? The martini police (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 5 August 2021 20:18 (two years ago) link
Looking through my books old film reviews it's interesting that neither Pauline Kael, John Simon, nor Stanley Kauffman were much impressed by Stacy Keach's performance. Kael thought Susan Tyrell should have won the Oscar, but her review of the film was mixed - she wondered why she was watching these loser characters. Simon didn't like the film at all and felt that Tyrell's performance was artless and out of control.
― Josefa, Thursday, 5 August 2021 22:02 (two years ago) link
Oh, also John Simon's review misspells John Huston's name as Houston throughout.
― Josefa, Thursday, 5 August 2021 22:03 (two years ago) link
Brando would've been too old for that role. The character in both the book and the film is 29. Brando was 47. Stacy Keach was the same age as the character.
― Josefa, Thursday, 5 August 2021 22:24 (two years ago) link
I don't suppose I will be the first one who thinks Richard Basehart's Ishmael in Moby Dick looks so uncannily like Ewen McGregor that a DNA test shouldn't be out of the question.
― calzino, Thursday, 5 August 2021 22:35 (two years ago) link
― Josefa,
I thought Kael said in a later but contemporaneous review that a performance comes around once in a while so bad it's a wonder it doesn't win an Oscar.
― So who you gonna call? The martini police (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 5 August 2021 22:40 (two years ago) link
^You're right! That was the passage I was referring to, but rereading it now it's clear Kael was being ironic, comparing Tyrrell's performance to previous bad performances that did win Oscars. Kael's phrase, "a performance of that caliber" threw me.
― Josefa, Thursday, 5 August 2021 22:53 (two years ago) link
and she's wrong! I had this conversation pre-COVID a couple years ago over drinks about the best drunk performances in film. I mentioned Susan Tyrell, particularly her second bar scene where Keach picks her up. She creates an alternate reality like I've seen other deep alcoholics do.
― So who you gonna call? The martini police (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 5 August 2021 23:05 (two years ago) link
Still haven't seen Fat City, but anyone looking for a true monster of a Susan Tyrell performance is encouraged to check out the 80s queer horror should-be classic Butcher Baker Nightmare Maker.
― edited for dog profanity (cryptosicko), Thursday, 5 August 2021 23:28 (two years ago) link
Kael thought Susan Tyrell should have won the Oscar, but her review of the film was mixed - she wondered why she was watching these loser characters.
lol I know no one is consistent about stuff like this but "don't want to watch losers" would be a tough standard for a cinemagoer in the 1970's
― Daniel_Rf, Friday, 6 August 2021 09:14 (two years ago) link
Man Fat City! Help me make it through the night is used so well. Love how it ends with the second verse, “yesterday is dead and gone.” Nice gut punch
― Heez, Thursday, 10 February 2022 05:02 (two years ago) link