Avanti (1972 Billy Wilder)

We just can't leave it alone. Every time we go to or come back from Italy...

Notes:

Lemmon as roses. Clive Revill brilliant as Carlucci: "When do you sleep?" "In the winter."

The film seems full of Lubitsch touches. Like Hitchcock making Frenzy (basically a return to his old London films) Wilder is going against the grain of the American New Wave in 1972 making an old-time comedy (though it's full of up-to-the-minute pot-shots at the US, Italy and England).

Pippo Franco is the meticulous pathologist. "He always lunches well. He knows all the widows."

A great character actor, Franco joins the ranks of brilliant supporting players like Walter Hampden and Marcel Hillaire in Sabrina.

"Let's have what they would have had."

This surely is from where the Airplane! joke is derived.

"This 'dame' is my niece. She was raised by the Carvelline Sisters!" (Whoever they may be.) Can Juliet Mills look any more angelic? (Compare to So Well Remembered.) She is perfect in this film.

Note Juliet's restless feet in the scene where they're having breakfast in bed together.

Earlier Avanti

Pygmalion (1938 Puffin Asquith & Leslie Howard)

It was his mother that called Anthony 'Puffin' on account of his distinguished nose.

Leslie Howard, Wendy Hiller, Wilfred Lawson, Scott Sunderland (Col. Pickering)

Scr. Cecil Lewis & W.P. Lipscomb, play and scenario G.B. Shaw. Won the Oscar.

"Not bloody likely. I'm going in a taxi!" Her enunciation stayed with us all through our holiday.
"They say he done her in!"

Loved the final shot - the back of Howard's head.

Ed . David Lean
Ph. Harry Stradling (op. Jack Hildyard)
Mus. Arthur Honegger

The Voice of the Turtle (1947 Irving Rapper)

Elenor Parker, Ronald Reagan, Eve Arden (poor Eve, always the bridesmaid...), Kent Smith, Erskine Sanford as the storekeeper (Orson Welles films).

Written by John Van Druten and based on his play.

There's a running gag about people overhearing the couple:

"I'm going mad."

"Wearing your brother's pyjamas."

This is quite a modern and risqué plot for its time in which Parker and Arden are in relationships which are just 'gay' and Reagan has no trouble kipping the night in a single girl's apartment (Parker is also an early sufferer of OCD). The first half takes place in a single night.

The attention to details is interesting, caught by Palermo-born Sol Polito's highly professional lighting and underscored by Max Steiner (Warner Bros.)

"Oops!"

The Secret War of Harry Frigg (1968 Jack Smight)

Newman, James Gregory and Norman Fell (who seems to play the same deadpan miserable in every film)

Escapee private Paul Newman is promoted to help rescue band of nice brigadiers from luxury Italian prison:

Nice brigadiers: Charles Gray, Andrew Duggan, Tom Bosley, John Williams (who I'd watch in anything) and Jacques Roux

Luckily, the Northern Italian castle (actually in California, unconfirmed) is presided over by Contessa Sylva Koscina:

There doesn't seem to be much chemistry between the two however. In seduction scene, Sylva looks bored (Q was admiring her socks):

 There are also rather too many obviously contrived group shots like this one:

Quite fun though. You can't help but warm to the brigadiers. Newman himself doesn't quite bring it off, though he's fun in scenes where he's learning all about Chateau Lafitte 1932, metaphysical poetry etc. Written by Peter Stone (with Frank Tarloff) - again, nowhere near as well written as Charade making me wonder if that was a bit of a fluke?

We watched the Czech Magic Box DVD which is of a rather grubby print and thus doesn't show off Russell Metty's photography to its best. Quite amusingly it is titled "Tajná Válka Harryho Frigga". Farrizio Moni is the Italian colonel, with Johnny Haymer as his sergeant, and the German commandant is nicely played by Buck Henry. Suitably Italian score provided by Carlo Rusticelli (Avanti).

Half Nelson (2006 Ryan Fleck)

Written by Fleck with Anna Boden, film tells of unlikely relationship developing between strung out teacher and inner city kid, both played beautifully by Ryan Gosling (who was Oscar nominated) and Shareeka Epps, actually 17 at the time, and often looking much, much older.

Ryan with very stupid plaster. Who plasters a lip anyway?

Anthony Mackie is the dealer, and sympathetic teacher Denis O'Hare perhaps looks familiar as he's a recurrent judge in The Good Wife.

It suffers from a choppy, documentary hand held look which doesn't always suit the material, and there's clearly a lot of improvised acting from non-professionals. But it doesn't fold itself into a neat box, and overall is quite tangy.

Evil Under the Sun (1981, released 1982, Guy Hamilton)

Peter Ustinov (as 'Hercules Parrot'!), Maggie Smith, James Mason, Jane Birkin, Colin Blakely, Nicholas Clay (with a widely variable accent), Roddy McDowell, Sylvia Miles, Dennis Quilley, Diana Rigg, Emily Hone (awful).

I'm not sure it was a good idea just to use music by Cole Porter.
Chris Challis shot it around the hotel on Cap Formentor, Mallorca (though it looks different now), a classy location doubling for the puzzling sounding 'Tyrrenhia'. Agatha Christie's original location in her 1941 novel was a hotel in Devon, so that was a definite improvement.

It's all a bit plummy, and not terribly interesting.

The Joneses (2009 Derrick Borte)

A bewildering film about people who impersonate a family and sell things. Said family comprises David Duchovny, Demi Moore, Amber Heard (The Rum Diary, Pineapple Express) and Ben Hollingsworth, with Gary Cole (The Good Wife), Glenne Headly and Lauren Hutton.

The King's Speech (2010 Tom Hooper)

The film, screenplay (David Seidler) and Firth won both the Oscar and BAFTA and Eastenders' director Hooper (then 38) won for Best Director: what a bastard. BAFTAs also went quite rightly to Geoffrey Rush (who lost the Oscar to Christian Bale in The Fighter) and Helena Bonham Carter (lost to Melissa Leo in The Fighter). Also with Guy Pearce, who's been busy 'kinging' (and who we kept referring to as Mike from Neighbours until we remembered his name), Jennifer Ehle, Michael Gambon, Derek Jacobi (another superb actor), Timothy Spall (great as Churchill), Anthony Andrews, Claire Bloom, Eve Best (Mrs Simpson).

Often funny film is also superbly edited (by Tariq Anwar) e.g. in the montage showing the King's progress through therapy. It's also most interestingly shot, with actors frequently inhabiting the lower edge of the frame, as though Danny Cohen is shooting from a stepladder: it has the effect though of making you concentrate more on the performer.

He's also using some very wide lenses. (Music by Alexandre Desplat.)

Loved the moment where Firth turns around and Rush is in the 'throne'.

It appears that the Queen did enjoy the film, and found Firth's portrayal of her father 'moving'.

Casablanca (1942 Michael Curtiz)

A perfect film, bright and shiny as ever, written by Julius G and Philip J Epstein and Howard Koch and based on an unproduced play 'Everybody Comes to Rick's' by Murray Burnett and Joan Alison.

It's tempting to think that's Curtiz behind the camera, or Edeson, but it could just as easily be camera assistant Wally Meinardus, Jack Warner or virtually anyone!

Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman (who's softly lit in every close up), Claude Rains, Peter Lorre, Sidney Greenstreet, Dooley Wilson, S.Z. Sakall, Paul Henreid, Conrad Veidt.

Caution: when singing La Marseillaise Madeleine Lebeau will move grown men to tears. Pictured here with Leonid Kinskey.

"How extravagant you are, throwing away women like that!"

The Germans wore grey, you wore blue. Won Oscars for best film, director and screenplay, and was shot with the astonishing skill of Arthur Edeson, pin sharp and without a shadow in sight, with long lenses which slightly blur out the detail surrounding the actors (according to David Lean and Ronnie Neame, anyway). Both Edeson and Curtiz had made well over a hundred films each by then. Outstanding music also by Max Steiner.

"I don't have time to spend the money I make here!"

It was the second film we saw on Blu Ray, on 10 December 2010. Also watched it on 9 April 2011, as an antidote to the wretched Mama Mia! and observed that with its wonderfully quotable dialogue it's a model for anyone wanting to make a film.

Comments from 31 December 2011:

It was released on 23rd January 1943.
Veidt was German, Henreid and Sakall (Jakob Gero) were Austria- Hungarian.
Ingrid's great - check her expression as they drink the last champagne in Paris.
You see the progress of Joy Page and her fiancé through the whole film.
In the sing off, Sam is out back having a joint with some of the band.
Capt. Renault sure is a cad ("Captain, another passport problem has turned up." "Show her in".)
Naturally there's a Westmore involved (Perc), and Edeson did at least get nominated (but lost to Arthur Miller for The Song of Bernadette).

Joy Page

O Brother Where Art Thou? (2000 Joel Coen)

It's nice to know the Coens loved Preston Sturges: based on The Odyssey, but deriving from Sturges' Sullivan's Travels and with plenty of references to that film (e.g. the joy-riding kid, chain gang who are allowed into cinema). And with a hint of Cool Hand Luke (the chain gang warder's dark glasses)?

Gorgeous George (dubbed for the singing by Dan Tyminski) as we've never seen him:

It's all in the eyes

Brilliantly shot, of course, by Roger Deakins. Notice throwaway beauty of deep focus autumn leaves in foreground, car receding in pin sharp focus; also the witnessing of KKK meeting that starts in monochrome silver and warms up wonderfully. The entire film was digitised and very selectively desaturated (see the ASC page.) Also reflections in the funniest scene (recording studio):

John Turturro, Tim Blake Nelson, Holly Hunter, John Goodman, Chris Thomas King (who has the best line - when asked about selling his soul to the Devil - "Well I wasn't using it"), Charles Durning.

"Actually I'm not sure that is Pete."

I Love You, Philip Morris (2009 Glenn Ficarra, John Requa)

Jim Carrey, Ewan McGregor, Leslie Mann

True story reminded me of another true story, Catch Me If You Can.

 

Ph. Xavier Perez Grobet 

Ends on Mozart's The Magic of Figaro and the surprise revelation that this basically harmless man is serving life imprisonment for various jail escapes and fraud.

The Third Man (1949 Carol Reed)

Screenplay Graham Greene, who also narrates the splendid opening voiceover (and written, apparently, uncredited, by Welles (certainly the cuckoo clock speech), Reed and producer Alexander Korda). No he doesn't - it's Reed narrating the opening.

Ph. Robert Krasker (AA). The film has a distinctive melancholy all its own. Zither music (Anton Karas) gives it a whole unique dimension. It's one of the most atmospheric and dazzling British films ever made.

Fine cast: Joseph Cotten, Alida Valli (The Paradine Case, The Spider's Stratagem, Suspiria), Orson Welles, Trevor Howard, Bernard Lee ("Be careful sir" after he's slugged Holly), Paul Hörbiger (porter), Ernst Deutsch (Baron Kurtz, Isle of the Dead), Siegfried Breuer (the deliciously oily Popescu).

Joseph Cotten, Bernard Lee, Trevor Howard

Incredible opening - editing, by Oswald Halfenrichter, who had an international career in Germany, France, England and Italy; though we can be sure Carol Reed was supervising very, very closely (the following from Encountering Directors by Charles Thomas Samuels (1972)

CHARLES THOMAS SAMUELS: How much supervision do you give your editor?

CAROL REED: I edit as I go along—during the lunch break. I never take lunch in the studio; I don't like to sit down or see anyone else sitting down. I feel more lively when I stand. I go into the cutting room at one every day to see the previous day's rushes. Then each Saturday I work with the editor (if we're not shooting) so that the final cut only takes two days after shooting's done.

CHARLES THOMAS SAMUELS: Your editing is very brisk.

CAROL REED: David Lean told me I cut too much.

CHARLES THOMAS SAMUELS: He cuts too little.

CAROL REED: [...] a director must work with his editor. Directing is conveying to actors what you had in mind while working with the author. After that, the editor must understand not only what you did on the floor, but what the author had in mind—a man the editor's never even met.

No other film is on such a tilt.

Utterly brilliant, time and time again.

Real falling leaves? Never been able to find out.

Wreckers (2011 Dictynna Hood & scr)

Feature debut.

Benedict Cumberbatch, Claire Foy, Shaun Evans, Peter McDonald, Sinead Matthews

Catches pace of rural / country life, with dramatic eruptions.

Ultimately though it doesn't really add up to anything. (We wonder whether she kept the right brother.)

Ph Annemarie Lean-Vercoe.

Pretty in Pink (1986 Howard Deutch)

Molly Ringwald, Jon Cryer, Andrew McCarthy, James Spader, Annie Potts, Andrew Dice Clay (none of whom had very successful careers) and Harry Dean Stanton.

With the name 'Duck' it's no wonder Cryer isn't getting any female attention.

Vile in pink

Funny to see gross clothing habits of eighties teens. Pretty much all the girls in it are Bitchy Cuntingtons. Not very interesting any more.

Ph. Tak Fujimoto. Ed. Richard Marks
Scr. John Hughes

The Descendants (2011 Alexander Payne)

Written by Payne, Nat Faxon and Jim Rash, based on a novel by Kaui Hart Hemmings.

George Clooney, Shailene Woodley, Amara Miller, Nick Krause, Beau Bridges, Matthew Liddard (right after I said I hoped I'd see him in something else soon). I think Payne is good at getting great performances.

Thank Wilder for Clooney, as an actor, a producer (and director) and as a man. He has that same star quality as someone like Cary Grant, but is much more active than just an actor.

Really good, well-written and acted film about family ("families are like archipelagos") affected by mother's infidelity and accident. And great line from Krause to Miller "Easy there, half pipe!" Subtle stuff e.g. Krause's family history.

Nice compositions above courtesy Phedon Papamichael (in Panavision), ed. Kevin Tent (both also Sideways).

Kaua'i and Hawaii look windy and stormy. "Paradise? Paradise can go fuck itself." Our second film in Hawaii recently.

The Bank Dick (1940 Edward F. Cline)

W.C. Fields as 'Edward Sousé, with a grave accent' (of course it is an acute), Cora Witherspoon, Una Merkel, Franklin Pangborn (as J. Pinkerton Snoopington).

Written by Mahatma Kane Jeeves! Characters also includes A. Pismo Clam!

Had quite severe double-vision by this time and was finding it hard to follow. Not sure we finished it.

I always thought it was about a bank guard who became a film director, but actually it's the other way round, whether or not such fine details really matter.

You'd think this would be an early film from Milton Krasner, better known for colour widescreen films of the fifties, but in fact he'd already shot about 60 by this time!

The Mad Miss Manton (1938 Leigh Jason)

Barbara Stanwyck, Henry Fonda, Sam Levene (some Thin Man films), Hattie McDaniel.

It's always great to see Hattie.

Written by Philip Epstein, story Wilson Collison

Smooth photography Nick Musuraca. Music Roy Webb (didn't even notice it).

Has the slight feel of a school play, but gets going as Miss Manton and her band of girls investigate murders and attempt to clear name to newspaper editor Fonda, whilst driving cop Levene to distraction.

Barbara Stanwyck giving it to Sam Levene

Micmacs (2009 Jean Jeunet)

Incredibly coincidentally stars Dany Boon, who co-wrote, directed and starred in Bienvenue chez les Ch'tis (the original Benvenuti al Sud), and who has a great face. Distictively coloured as all Jeunet films are (this one shot by Tetsuo Nagata, who also did the amazing Tautou / Chanel No. 5 / Orient Express ad), this is a unique experience. Oddball cast: Jean-Pierre Marielle ('slammer'), Yolande Moreau (mother), Julie Ferrier (contortionist), Omar Sy, Dominique Pinon (human cannonball).

Many funny moments e.g. explosion that causes the calendar to 'strip'. Bizarre electronic puppets. Brilliantly clever and funny finale.

Great idea to use Max Steiner music (whether it's all from The Big Sleep I'm not sure) and it sounds fantastic recreated and newly recorded.

Django Unchained (2012 Quentin Tarantino & scr)

Always a major event; no disappointment. Loved Q's remark that the gore reminded her of La Tomatina tomato festival in Italy!

Loved character of the urbane bounty hunter, whose horse bows on introduction, played to perfection by Christoph Waltz, acting his way into his second Oscar for Quentin (the screenplay won also). Jaimie Foxx, Leonardo di Caprio, Samuel L Jackson ('where did he find this great old character actor', I mused for at least 10 minutes) are all perfect. Also with: Kerry Washington, 'with the friendly participation of [the original Django] Franco Nero', Don Johnson, Bruce Dern, Don Stroud, Jonah Hill and Quentin himself with an odd Australian accent.

Shot by Robert Richardson with some lovely images e.g. Waltz in firelight, flashback stuff. Typically eclectic soundtrack choice. Fred Raskin has replaced the sadly-missed Sally Menke (he was assistant on Kill Bill).

Not as talky as some of his films; though loved the exchange between the Klan members. And quips like when Mrs Django faints "You silver-tongued devil".

Blazing Saddles (1974 Mel Brooks)

A wholly appropriate follow-on from Django Unchained. Andrew Bergman wrote the story and co-scripted with Brooks, Norman Steinberg, Richard Pryor (apparently hoping for the lead role himself) and Alan Uger.

Cleavon Little & Gene Wilder, Harvey Korman, Slim Pickens, Madeline Kahn.

The funny bits of old are still funny ('I'd like to extend to you this laurel, and hardy handshake', 'Telegram for Mongo' etc.) but it's lost a bit of its appeal over time, and is rather roughly directed (Joseph Biroc is behind the camera).

Cleavon was in Vanishing Point and as a hospital doctor in TV show Temperatures Rising before this; ended up mainly on TV; though did act on stage in I'm Not Rappaport.