Amph Turner Classic Movies: RARE FILM ALERT: "Haxan: Witchcraft Through the Ages" (1922) on TCM Tonight

Yeah, that's what I said! Where have you been, Bright Sith? And what is your opinion of "Platoon?"

You should see "Black Narcissus", Rogue. It is very, very strange. Insanely beautiful and quite mad.

We should revive the old "Have Anybody Seen This Movie?" thread...

 

My favorite Powell film is "Peeping Tom." Of course, it's the only Powell film I've seen, but I really liked it.

I know, I know. "Colonel Blimp..." and the others are on my list.

 

I've been chasing "Peeping Tom" for years; it's really hard to see...

 

They had it on TCM a few months ago. They may show it again soon.

 

Zaz: You do know that both Black Narcissus and Peeping Tom are available from the Criterion Collection, no? I know you live in Canada, so I'm not sure if you're region free, but region free DVD players actually can come quite cheap. I don't want to link to a purchasing site, but I will direct you to DVD Beaver where you can get all that information.

P.S. Greed is finally coming out on DVD in a 2006 or 2007 release. No word yet on whether it will include the theatrical "cut" (i.e., the butchering) or the four hour cut, or both.

 

That's nice of you, General, the problem is I'm both skint and broke.

 

Greed on DVD! I'm there!

It better have both cuts on it.

 

I wonder what the extras will be on that...a bio of von Stroheim, I guess and the history of the film.

I know the tradition is that it was a masterpiece butchered by the suits. The possibility is that von Stroheim was a nutbar a la Coppola in the Philippines. Nine damn hours.

 

That's nice of you, General, the problem is I'm both skint and broke.

I'm a college student, but there are cheap Criterion DVDs out there if you're willing to look for them. But again, I feel so wrong linking to a purchasing site, but if you're interested, just PM me. And believe me, buying DVDs isn't a habit for me, just a privilege.

Greed on DVD! I'm there!

It better have both cuts on it.

Warners has recently been putting out excellent editions of their pictures. They're apparently exhausting all the resources at their dispoval to find the "lost" footage of Welles' The Magnificent Ambersons. While I doubt a similar hunt occured regards Greed, I'm optimistic that it will include both versions of the film, although I wouldn't expect too much in the way of extra features.

Since I'm on the topic, here are other silent releases from Warners slated for 2006-2007:

The Wind (Dir. Victor Sjostrom) - Sjostrom, who you may remember from his role as the elderly professor in Bergman's Wild Strawberries, was, in his prime, Sweden's greatest director. This is one of the last silents and is in its own way a classic, not least of all because of the tremendous difficulties encountered on the set. This film also stars the great silent actress Lillian Gish.

The Crowd (Dir. King Vidor) - King Vidor's silent classic will now finally be available on DVD. This is a landmark American film, and as Time puts it, a rarity, a studio art film. It also holds the distinction of being the first American film to show a toilet.

Others include The Big Parade and The Unholy Three, the latter starring the great Lon Chaney, and which was filmed in both silent and talkie versions (released five years apart). Whether this DVD will include both versions (as Criterion has done with a few of their releases) is uncertain. The Big Parade is another film from the American silent director, King Vidor.

I know the tradition is that it was a masterpiece butchered by the suits. The possibility is that von Stroheim was a nutbar a la Coppola in the Philippines. Nine damn hours.

We'll never be sure how long Stroheim's original cut of Greed would've been. While the nine hour length may or may not be an exaggeration, it was clear at that screening that the version showed was only to be a preliminary cut, and Stroheim was planning on making more considerable, lengthy cuts. But regarding Greed and indeed, all of von Stroheim's films, their truncated incarnations are the result both of Stroheim's own volatile and perfectionist personality as well as the fault of the Hollywood suits who never understood von Stroheim's genius.

 

Here's hoping they have a good commentary. Most 'film historian' commentaries are dull as dirt though . . .

 

"Greed" is an MGM film, though it was originally commissioned by Goldwyn pre-merger. The shoot (in San Francisco) took two years. However, the look of the film--and it shows just how S. F. looked in the early 20'---is fascinating.

 

Usually. Though he's not technically a film historian, Roger Ebert does some very interesting commentaries. I've listened to him during Citizen Kane and Dark City, and they were great. He's doing one for the upcoming release of "Beyond the Valley of the Dolls," which should be good.

 

He wrote the original film.

 

Yeah, it should be interesting to hear him talk about something he was involved in instead of somebody else's work. I'm sure there'll be some wonderful stories. . .

"Russ and I pictured so-in-so's breasts when we wrote this part."

 

It should be impossible to record a boring commentary for Beyond the Valley of the Dolls. Just absolutely impossible.

 

I just finished watching Black Narcissus and that one nun is so freaky.

 

Great performance, wasn't it? That's Kathleen Byron.

 

Okay, next: Saturday night (April 15)

"Cabin in the Sky" (1943) This musical has an all black cast and is a rare chance to see some legendary performers: Ethel Waters (singing: "Happiness is Just a Thing Called Joe"); Lena Horne (singing: "Honey in the Honeycomb"); Louis Armstrong; Bubbles (dancing to "Shine"); Duke Ellington. Based on a stage musical. Directed by Vincente Minelli.

Warning: Given the date, do not expect PCness. You won't get it.

That same night, another Minelli film: "The Reluctant Debutante". Worth seeing for the wonderful Kay Kendall, who died young of leukemia.

 

The Reluctant Debutante is a hilarious movie. Harrison is excellent as well, quite funny.

 

I hadn't seen it before. It was funny.

Next interesting day is Thursday, April 27th, 2006, on which they are showing much cheesy goodness, a series of 50's Science Fiction movies: "Forbidden Planet" (1956); "From Earth to the Moon" (1958); "It Came From Outer Space" (1956); "The Thing" (1951); "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" (1956); "The Quartermass Xperiment" (1956); "The Incredible Shrinking Man" (1957); and ending up with "Solyent Green" (1973)

Later that night: "The Prisoner of Zenda" (1952) and "King Solomon's Mines" (1950)

And even later: Lon Chaney, Sr. in "West of Zanzibar" (1928)

 

"Sunrise", one of the classics of silent cinema is on tonight at 9:00 p.m. PT.

 

I am there. I failed to pick up the Fox DVD when it was available at the stores nearby, may still be available through the same or another distributor now. But I keep losing it in the shuffle of "must haves yet have nots".

May 17th, TCM is showing the rare Tod Browning creeper, The Devil Doll at 1:45 PM PT. I am probably gonna miss this one with my shifting work hours.

 

Tonight, as part of a month-long program of "Race and Hollywood" they are showing D. W. Griffiths' "Birth of a Nation".

Warning: This is not a PC movie, to say the very least of it. It's silent, B & W, and based on a bestseller called "The Klansman" which glorifies the KKK. But Griffith was an artist, IMO, though you can make up your own mind about that.

 

I look forward to hearing the opinions of those of you who will be seeing this for the first time.

 

Unfortunately, I didn't see all of it, and what I did see was the non-PC part. Boy, was it ever non-PC.

Very different from Murnau, who tried to do without intertitles, Griffith is talky and wordy, but the film is fascinating, if endless. The blackface is just plain creepy.