Aaryk Noctivagus

Oooo. Nasty business fluff in your vertical hold. Very nasty business. They don't like it up 'em Captain Mainwaring.

Aaryk Noctivagus

Just watched Roman Polanski's production of 'Tess'... wonderful stuff.

ChristineCB

Sunday evening, AMC-TV was showing their "DVD Plus" version of YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN - where they've inserted pop-up captions about scenes, actors and comments about the film. Great. Wonderful.

I didn't realize they used sets where Ronald Colman walked in RANDOM HARVEST (Young F's Transylvania Train Station scene where Gene Wilder gets off and meets Eye-Gor for the first time)...

Or the graveyard digging-up scene is the same set that was used for MRS MINIVER's wedding.

But that being said... the film was made after a bidding war was won, and then, after all financing was agreed to, the studio said, "And of course, it's got to be in color because European audiences won't tolerate black & white films..."

Brooks and Wilder won this argument. Thank goodness. But even the cinematographer said he preferred filming in color and was scrambling to find his old B&W filters until he discovered there were no daylight shots done outside.

Most of the lots used for the filming were bulldozed just after YF was completed, by the way. Sold off to become LA's "Studio Estates" subdivision.

Gene Hackman was taking a year off and was turning down CUCKOO'S NEST-calibre films but did want to do a walk-on part for his tennis buddy, Gene Wilder. Gene & Mel wanted something more, and 4 days later, they completed the scene with his "I was going to make espresso!" lament. Hackman said it's about his favorite role of all he's ever done, and his favorite film, even though it wasn't "his".

Yes, but that one scene is perfect.

vanburen

Ive just bought the BFI 'Free Cinema' boxset which i think came out last year but im stuck working on nights until monday so its going to be next week before i see it.its like waiting for christmas...

batman

A double bill of Take My Life and Trent's Last Case. The former is, IMHO, vastly underrated and features strong performances by Marius Goring and Rosalie Crutchley while the latter is, again IMHO, very unfairly maligned by many. Apart from Michael Wilding being rather bland as Trent the film is very enjoyable indeed. Herbert Wilcox should have had a word with Orson about the nose and eyebrows though.

Bats.

"Boom boom a baby .... Banham Zoo .... Banana pants! Hahahaha"

DB7

Caché

A French film recommended to me by others; and I'm still undecided whether it is enthralling or deeply annoying. It opens with Daniel Autiel being sent deeply unsettling videotapes of his home, parents farmhouse and location of a now-adult Algerian that his parents had intended to foster. In flashback we discover Autiel didn't appreciate the idea of his parents adopting the young Algerian so lied to ensure he was taken to an orphanage instead. Plotwise it's a basic 'whodunnit' but one layered with metaphors; whilst the Algerian War raises its head the tv set in the background flashes up images from Iraq. And I still don't know who sent the videotapes...

A Pemberton

Baby Love 1968

A film that attempts to probe the dark side of the respectability of the so called middle-class family is always worth a look,however
Baby Love never convinced me that it wanted to be more than a exploitative film.The choice of Linda Hayden probably made it controversial
and maybe thats all the film was meant to be.
Keith Barron and the cast play it well ,Linda Hayden is precocious and manipulative in the extreme and Diana Dors underused .The film seemed to go through
the general story where you are thinking that there was more nastiness and manipulation before a powerful finality to come, along comes the ending far too soon with a freeze frame close up of Miss Hayden looking menacing , and the film ends
Perhaps I was expecting too much and saw the film in the end as an opportunity missed

batman

JIGSAW and CAMPBELL'S KINGDOM

Mrs Bats went out and left me in charge of the Boy Wonder, who fortunately was asleep by 7.30.

I began my evening with JIGSAW (1962) with Jack Warner. Another of Val Guest's great 60s thrillers featuring crisp on location photography, solid performances, sharp editing and inventive direction. The above average murder mystery plot is given effective several twists and turns which kept this viewer, normally good as guessing the murderer early on (The Bat has a golden rule for whodunnits which is rarely wrong), in suspense till right near the very end. A thoroughly enjoyable film which stands alongside Guest's Hell Is A City as one of the 60s classic Brit thrillers.

I followed this with CAMPBELL'S KINGDOM (1957) which I acquired via Amazon.de as no UK release is available. I have loved this film since I was a kid and, as an adult, still enjoy it immensely. I love watching good actors perform together and there's loads of them on show here in what is, in effect, a western in all but name. More good location fiming and a reaonable script help make this a jolly good adventure movie.

Bats.

"Boom boom a baby .... Banham Zoo .... Banana pants! Hahahaha"

Aaryk Noctivagus

I introduced Mrs Noctivagus to 'The Taking of Pelham 123' and just now we watched 'Black Narcissus'.

vaggmk1938

Penfold's quote is from another thread. I watched "Miss Potter" last night and the thing that really bothered me was that they shaved 4 years off her life.

She was born in 1866 which would have made her 36 in 1902, the time-frame of her first meeting with Norman Warne, but she states she is 32. I think she was anything but vain, so the "white lie" must have been introduced to appeal to those who think that "being in love" only affects those well under 40--which many of us know is utter tripe!

I did like the film and thought the animation, what little there was, was quite wonderful.

Aaryk Noctivagus

I like long movies... But have I got long enough left to watch that movie? I'd be something like 77 before I reached that point in her life!!!

batman

the informers

the great nigel patrick and a superb supporting cast in an early 60s crime thriller. nigel is the tough copper out to nail a bunch of safe breakers masterminded by frank finlay. with nutty pimp derren nesbitt as his 'front' it all goes horribly wrong for frank, but not after a series of interesting plot twists and some well staged action. not a great film but well worth a look.

bats.

"Boom boom a baby .... Banham Zoo .... Banana pants! Hahahaha"

Windthrop

NP was an underrated acotr in movie terms - best period late 40s - early sixties and then disapointingly little apart from very brief cameos and in 'Silver Bears' & 'Mackintosh Man' completely wasted in peppercorn roles

batman

Totally agree with you.

Bats.

"Boom boom a baby .... Banham Zoo .... Banana pants! Hahahaha"

clitheroekid

and seconded!