What Was The Last Movie You Watched?

[jamespowers]

The Big Country (1958) with Gregory Peck, Jean Simmons, Carroll Baker, Charlton Heston, and Burl Ives; dir. William Wyler. Long, slow shots of people thinking, epic vistas of mountains and plains and canyons, with some long, slow shots of people thinking, interspersed with some long, slow dialogue. When Burl Ives recites his lines the tempo picks up. Check out his false eyebrows, made from kiddy toy bat wings.

All the move-making gimmicks are here to make you think you're watching an epic: ponderous pacing, static placement of extras while the principals stare at each other to stretch out the time, crane shots, long-distance shots of riders on horseback traveling across dramatic terrain (think of Lawrence of Arabia trekking across endless lunar-like landscapes). The thing clocks in at 2 hours and 40-some minutes but it seems like about a week.

Here's the synopsis from IMDB: A New Englander arrives in the Old West, where he becomes embroiled in a feud between two families over a valuable patch of land.

Ok, I just have to do it:
https://youtu.be/bw2o_Go4QWI

 

[AmateisGal]

Congratulations on your success at your job and in your writing career.

I read the first few pages on Amazon and am impressed (had to be quite an interesting conversation for the Brits to first broach with the US: "I'm, well, I'm, uh, we were just thinking, I'm, if you would like, uh, well no, consider, I'm, maybe, perhaps, housing a few, uh, let's call them, umm, people for us in your country...").

I'm also excited to hear about your fiction. As Worf said, very neat to see you turning your passion for things past - that we all chat about here - into something so productive.

Thank you so much, Fading Fast!

 

[AmateisGal]

Since I didn't watch Laura last night, I'm watching it now.

 

[AmateisGal]

And now I'm moving on to Rebecca.

 

[jamespowers]

Since I didn't watch Laura last night, I'm watching it now.

Works for me.

 

[Stearmen]

The Big Country (1958) with Gregory Peck, Jean Simmons, Carroll Baker, Charlton Heston, and Burl Ives; dir. William Wyler. Long, slow shots of people thinking, epic vistas of mountains and plains and canyons, with some long, slow shots of people thinking, interspersed with some long, slow dialogue. When Burl Ives recites his lines the tempo picks up. Check out his false eyebrows, made from kiddy toy bat wings.

All the move-making gimmicks are here to make you think you're watching an epic: ponderous pacing, static placement of extras while the principals stare at each other to stretch out the time, crane shots, long-distance shots of riders on horseback traveling across dramatic terrain (think of Lawrence of Arabia trekking across endless lunar-like landscapes). The thing clocks in at 2 hours and 40-some minutes but it seems like about a week.

Here's the synopsis from IMDB: A New Englander arrives in the Old West, where he becomes embroiled in a feud between two families over a valuable patch of land.

Great movie, and one of the best movie scores of all times! Like it so much, it's my ring tone. [video=youtube;AQTH3a0mjR8]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQTH3a0mjR8[/video]

 

[Worf]

The Big Country (1958) with Gregory Peck, Jean Simmons, Carroll Baker, Charlton Heston, and Burl Ives; dir. William Wyler. Long, slow shots of people thinking, epic vistas of mountains and plains and canyons, with some long, slow shots of people thinking, interspersed with some long, slow dialogue. When Burl Ives recites his lines the tempo picks up. Check out his false eyebrows, made from kiddy toy bat wings.

All the move-making gimmicks are here to make you think you're watching an epic: ponderous pacing, static placement of extras while the principals stare at each other to stretch out the time, crane shots, long-distance shots of riders on horseback traveling across dramatic terrain (think of Lawrence of Arabia trekking across endless lunar-like landscapes). The thing clocks in at 2 hours and 40-some minutes but it seems like about a week.

Here's the synopsis from IMDB: A New Englander arrives in the Old West, where he becomes embroiled in a feud between two families over a valuable patch of land.

Wally Ole Chum... we've rarely if ever disagreed on a film before, I don't think ever to be honest, but guess what..... (wait for it)....

We're definitely gonna disagree now!!!! "The Big Country" is a great film and one of the first of what I call an "Adult Western" where the characters are layered and develop logically and honestly as the film progresses. Look at Heston's arc in this film... from do as he's told lackey who absolutely SURE that he's a better man than Peck to one who questions everything including his personal God.... the Major. Well written, beautifully shot, superbly acted and more stars than the evening sky. One of my personal faves. As for the pacing... because of the size of the land and the terrain Wyler CHOSE to do it that way... to let the camera linger so you can drink it all in. I just love the film. But different horses for different courses.

Worf

 

[Worf]

"It Follows" - A solid B-minus a well made scary movie. It's well filmed and the young unknown actors do a very creditable job. The basic premise is that a phantom (I don't know what else to call it) is passed along to you if you have sex with someone it's tracking. If it touches you, you're dead, in a pretty gruesome manner. About midway through it dawned on me that the tale is a somewhat thinly veiled analogy of the AIDS epidemic. Death transmitted through sexual contact that takes its slow sweet time killing you. The film is full of older cars, televisions, appliances and alike from the early 80's, you never see a laptop or cell phone except in the opening sequence. So you're never sure of the time frame but everything points to the early 80's when the AIDS pandemic was just cranking up. Also, the film is shot in bombed out ruins of Detroit which in itself reeks of death and despair. I had plenty of goosebumps and screamed out loud a couple of times. It's a decent film but nowhere near the mind numbing terror of "The Ring".

Worf

 

[Dennis Young]

Big Country is a terrific film.

 

[Big J]

Congratulations on your success at your job and in your writing career.

I read the first few pages on Amazon and am impressed (had to be quite an interesting conversation for the Brits to first broach with the US: "I'm, well, I'm, uh, we were just thinking, I'm, if you would like, uh, well no, consider, I'm, maybe, perhaps, housing a few, uh, let's call them, umm, people for us in your country...").

I'm also excited to hear about your fiction. As Worf said, very neat to see you turning your passion for things past - that we all chat about here - into something so productive.

Because all Brits communicate in the same socially retarded fashion as a Hugh Grant character? I can't picture Churchill speaking like that.

 

[Fading Fast]

And now I'm moving on to Rebecca.

"Laura" and "Rebecca" are a great one-two punch. For me, throw in "Suspicion" and you'd have one heck of a hat trick movie-watching experience.

I often think about why movies can't be made that way today. While a few good movies get made each year (amidst the flood of bad ones), they don't have the slow, build suspense, tell-a-story-without-rushing-it style that all three of those movies have. Even the better movies today have an immediate nervous energy - as if they need to tell you something dramatic is going to happen so that you don't stop watching - whereas; these movies build that energy over time.

 

[Fading Fast]

Because all Brits communicate in the same socially retarded fashion as a Hugh Grant character? I can't picture Churchill speaking like that.

Not in the least. My "joke" for what it was, was an attempt to show how awkward and difficult it must have been to ask another country to take in POWs for you. I would have thought the same had the US been asking the UK to take in its POWs.

And as to Churchill, I have more books on him, his life, his speeches, his style (recently read "Churchill Style: The Art of Being Winston Churchill" which is a fun look at his enjoyment in the finer things in life - food, clothes, houses, cars, etc. - highly recommend it to a Churchill fan), than on anyone else. He is one of my heroes.

 

[dh66]

'Cannibal - the Musical'
A Broadway style musical about Alfred Packer. An early effort from the 'Southpark' creators. Pretty much, as with most of their stuff, you'd find it hilarious or horribly offensive. Not much middle ground with those guys.

 

[Renault]

Wally Ole Chum... we've rarely if ever disagreed on a film before, I don't think ever to be honest, but guess what..... (wait for it)....

We're definitely gonna disagree now!!!! "The Big Country" is a great film and one of the first of what I call an "Adult Western" where the characters are layered and develop logically and honestly as the film progresses. Look at Heston's arc in this film... from do as he's told lackey who absolutely SURE that he's a better man than Peck to one who questions everything including his personal God.... the Major. Well written, beautifully shot, superbly acted and more stars than the evening sky. One of my personal faves. As for the pacing... because of the size of the land and the terrain Wyler CHOSE to do it that way... to let the camera linger so you can drink it all in. I just love the film. But different horses for different courses.

Worf

Just whatever you do Worf, you stay outta Blanco Canyon!!!

 

[Big J]

Not in the least. My "joke" for what it was, was an attempt to show how awkward and difficult it must have been to ask another country to take in POWs for you. I would have thought the same had the US been asking the UK to take in its POWs.

And as to Churchill, I have more books on him, his life, his speeches, his style (recently read "Churchill Style: The Art of Being Winston Churchill" which is a fun look at his enjoyment in the finer things in life - food, clothes, houses, cars, etc. - highly recommend it to a Churchill fan), than on anyone else. He is one of my heroes.

Thanks for the explanation. I have this irrational hatred of Hugh Grant and an overwhelming desire to slap him when he speaks.

 

[AmateisGal]

"Laura" and "Rebecca" are a great one-two punch. For me, throw in "Suspicion" and you'd have one heck of a hat trick movie-watching experience.

I often think about why movies can't be made that way today. While a few good movies get made each year (amidst the flood of bad ones), they don't have the slow, build suspense, tell-a-story-without-rushing-it style that all three of those movies have. Even the better movies today have an immediate nervous energy - as if they need to tell you something dramatic is going to happen so that you don't stop watching - whereas; these movies build that energy over time.

Agreed. Suspicion is another of my favorites. I guess Hitchcock filmed that movie with two different endings. The first had Cary Grant really trying to kill off his wife, Joan Fontaine. Test audiences didn't like it (well, who wants Cary Grant being the villain?) so they went with the ending we have now.

 

[AmateisGal]

Thanks for the explanation. I have this irrational hatred of Hugh Grant and an overwhelming desire to slap him when he speaks.

But...he's going to be the, erm, guest editor of....ahm...Horse and Hound!

*ducks*

Good to meet you, BTW!

 

[Fading Fast]

Agreed. Suspicion is another of my favorites. I guess Hitchcock filmed that movie with two different endings. The first had Cary Grant really trying to kill off his wife, Joan Fontaine. Test audiences didn't like it (well, who wants Cary Grant being the villain?) so they went with the ending we have now.

In the book it is from, "Before the Fact" (which is worth the read), Grant's character is a killer, but as you said, nobody wanted to see an evil Cary Grant (the worse he ever gets is being a bit surface cranky in "Father Goose," but that is way shy of killing your wife). The adulterated ending used to bother me, but the style of the movie is so great, that I don't care anymore about the it, and I just enjoy the movie for what it is. "Notorious" could also be put in this grouping of movies.

 

[AmateisGal]

In the book it is from, "Before the Fact" (which is worth the read), Grant's character is a killer, but as you said, nobody wanted to see an evil Cary Grant (the worse he ever gets is being a bit surface cranky in "Father Goose," but that is way shy of killing your wife). The adulterated ending used to bother me, but the style of the movie is so great, that I don't care anymore about the it, and I just enjoy the movie for what it is. "Notorious" could also be put in this grouping of movies.

I love him in Father Goose! And I've only seen Notorious once. I think I need to watch it again.

 

[Fading Fast]

I love him in Father Goose! And I've only seen Notorious once. I think I need to watch it again.

As you seem into this stuff - one of my favorite off-beat and lesser-known Cary Grant movies is "People Will Talk" it has a very other-worldly feel to it. And my favorite underrated Cary Grant movie is "In Name Only," which also seems to break a few of the code taboos during the era when the code was enforced.