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

I love Kiss ME Deadly! Great film!

 

A very tough, very hard film. Not for the faint of heart.

 

Next: "Man of the West" (1958) starring Gary Cooper and directed by Anthony Mann. This is basically the same plot elements as "The Wild Bunch" (1969), used very differently.

Tuesday at 5:00 pm PT

 

Thursday, June 22nd, 2006

A documentary called "Billy Wilder Speaks" and four of his movies: "Double Indemnity", "The Lost Weekend", "Sabrina" and "A Foreign Affair"

 

I LOVE Billy Wilder. Great director. I'll be sure to tune in.[

 

I'll try to watch'em all. But definitely taking in Double Indemnity as I missed out on the first DVD release now OOP and obviously don't have it on hand to rate and review.

 

Double post.

 

If you haven't seen it, you're in for a treat. "The Lost Weekend" and "Sabrina", also. "A Foreign Affair" I liked less.

The documentary was filmed in the 80's, I think, but he asked that the material not be used until after his death. Haven't seen that.

 

Watching the documentary now; it's very interesting. "Double Indemnity" starts at 6:30 pm PT.

 

Very interesting, I have been watching bits of it while online, but it has direct replay after Double Indemnity.

6:30 comes, I am glued to the TV.

 

They are showing "The Lost Weekend" now...and later "Sunset Blvd" and "The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes". Haven't seen the latter.

Then, late tomorrow night: "Ivan the Terrible" Part 1 (1945) dir. Sergei Eisenstein

 

For those who love eye-popping colour films by the Archers, two on today, "Black Narcissus" at 5:00 pm (PT) and "The Red Shoes" (8:00 pm). Preceded by the wonderful John Ford Irish romance "The Quiet Man". (I can recite all the dialogue of that movie, it's the parental unit's favorite). "The African Queen" is on after "The Red Shoes" and the chilling "The Dogs of War" after that. Great night.

"Black Narcissus" was shot in London. Still can't believe it.

Moira Shearer (in "The Red Shoes") is one of the greatest colour camera subjects ever.

 

On June 30th, 2006, 11:30 pm. PT, they are showing "Ivan the Terrible, Part II (The Boyar's Plot)" (1946) dir. Sergei Eisenstein

Part I was on last week, and is relatively easy to see. Part II is much harder. Read Stalin for Ivan and get the reason why this movie was largely suppressed by the Soviets. Part III exists only in fragments.

 

Next: on Friday night, 6:00 pm. EST, they are showing the original "The Manchurian Candidate" (1962), starring Frank Sinatra, Laurance Harvey, Angela Lansbury and Janet Leigh. It's a classic, especially the opening.

 

Also the same evening, Seijun Suzuki's Tokyo Drifter is being televised afterwards at 11:15 PM PST. I am no fan of Suzuki at all and yes he has been influential. However this is the one film I loved by the director.

BTW, my local listings say The Manchurian Candidate is going to be televised at 9:00 PM PST.

 

They are showing great foreign films in the Friday night slot.

 

Also featuring great independent and maverick film-makers every Wednesday night through the month of July. Last night, it was John Cassavetes.

 

Next: Early Sunday morning:

Vincente Minelli's "The Bad and the Beautiful" (1952)

I've heard Rogue praise this film, so I'm eager to see it.

 

A very good movie. Kirk Douglas is fantastic and, since you know a lot about old Hollywood, you'll know the true stories behind a lot of the movie here. It isn't 'based' on anyone, but a lot of the stories are, if you get my drift. Powell and Grahame are both very good also.

By the way . . . Turner Classic Movies? That's where I saw it too.

 

Just closed tonight and am going to try to see Bad and the Beautiful and the film preceeding it, tommygun toting maniac Paul Muni in Howark Hawks' Scarface at 3:00 AM. Both before a 2:00 PM start at work tomorrow. And to get me through to these wee hours, a newly acquired DVD copy of Tommy Lee Jones' The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada. Am I bad or what? Or dead asleep before "Three Burials" closing credits.

 

I've got "The Bad & the Beautiful" recorded.

Tonight: "Bananas", which, for my money is the best Woody Allen comedy; and bingo! tomorrow at 12:30 pm PST, "Peeping Tom" (1960) the Powell/Pressberger cult film...another one I've heard Rogue praise, but which I haven't seen.

 

Please share your thoughts on The Bad and the Beautiful, Zaz.

I missed it.

 

"The Bad and the Beautiful" is very entertaining, especially if you can pick out who the cast is supposed to be in real life.

Jonathan Shields = David O. Selznick (the son of a ruined studio head who vows revenge) and Val Lewton (the B-horror film maker)

Georgia Lorrison = Diana Barrymore (daughter of John) and Jennifer Jones

Leo J. Carroll's character is Hitchcock

Dick Powell's and Walter Pigeon's characters I wasn't sure about, but a little research brought out the names: William Faulkner/Scott Fitzgerald and Harry Rapf.

I enjoyed it, even though Lana Turner can't act.

EDIT: Oh, and Barry Sullivan is George Cukor.

 

Bananas is absolutely Allen's best film.

And Peeping Tom is a highlight. Keep in mind that it's 1960 while you watch it; the same year Psycho was made. More than a few interesting conclusions there.

 

I concur with Rogue's thoughts on Peeping Tom. Some details the director Michael Powell himself portrays the psychopathic killer's psychiatrist father in a flashback episode, by which he torments and experiments with his own son while also film documenting him.

A dramatic key to the psychology and modus operandi of the killer Mark Lewis (Karl-Heinz Boehm). Lewis uses a most disturbing and macabre instrument of death.

Brilliant film and sadly thoroughly derailed Powell's career because of the censors and politics of the day.

I have the Criterion DVD, need to dig it out and watch it some day.