Movies, movies
Oct. 16th, 2001 10:18 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
khaosworksWent on a bit of a DVD binge today - something I haven't done in a while. Artisan has come out with the Cary Grant Collection. It's actually nothing to shout about; Dolby 2.0 sound, no extras, no subtitles, but - what the Hell, it's Cary Grant. And what caught my eye was this little film he did with Ingrid Bergman called "Indiscreet". I saw it as a teenager one weekend on TV and never quite forgot it. It's a light little romantic comedy based on the play "Kind Sir".
Grant is a middle-aged financier working for NATO - Bergman a famous actress who's feeling lonely. They are immediately attracted to each other, but Grant tells Bergman that he's married and can't get a divorce. That doesn't stop them, however, from starting an affair. Everything is going along swimmingly until Bergman discovers the awful truth from her sister: he's actually single, and tells women that because he's "not the marrying kind". This leads to a classic line burned into my brain for the years since I watched it last, "How dare he make love to me and not be a married man!?!" Then she starts to plot revenge...
I didn't know this back then, but turns out it's directed by Stanley Donen, who did musicals like "On The Town", "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers", "Singing In The Rain" and subsequently the quite enjoyable faux Hitchcock romantic thriller, "Charade" (with Grant again and Audrey Hepburn), among many others. Donen's a marvellous director, with nice little framing touches and background details.
One example is when Bergman and Grant travel up in the elevator to her apartment just before they spend their first night together. It's what they call a 50-50 shot, side profiles of the actors on opposite sides of the screen, which brings out the feeling of intimacy. There's no dialogue, just the jazzy music in the background, and they're just staring at each other with soft smiles on their faces for about twenty seconds as the elevator gets to the right floor, and you know exactly what's going through the characters' minds. Few directors could have gotten away with that, and few actors would have had that chemistry to be able to communicate that to the audience.
Grant and Bergman give great performances despite the predictable and lightweight storyline, which is saved on occasion by witty dialogue and a small but wonderful supporting cast. Bergman in particular is spectacular - she goes through the whole gamut of emotions - sadness, joy, suspicion, anger, and her "evil eye" stare is something I wouldn't want anyone giving me because it spells doom and destruction with just a glance. Even in 1958, at age 43, she was still gorgeous and an amazing actress.
The print is only so-so, showing evident signs of age, and there was one scene where the scratches on the film were so obvious it made me wince with sympathy. Couldn't they have found a better print? I don't know - but I'm hoping they transfer as many of these old movies as possible to digital format before the celluloid finally dies.
I also finally caved in and bought "The Philadelphia Story" after waiting years for them to come out with a special edition. I guess I'll just have to live with just the trailer and no commentary or documentary. Of course, with my luck, they'll come out with one in a few months.
My final purchases were "The Hunt For Red October", "Patriot Games" and "Clear and Present Danger". I know. I know. Not great. Everyone has their own little weaknesses, and political/military thrillers happen to be mine. It's my equivalent of Danielle Steele novels.
And now that I know it's out there, I'm going to be scanning the shelves for "Operation Petticoat"...
Grant is a middle-aged financier working for NATO - Bergman a famous actress who's feeling lonely. They are immediately attracted to each other, but Grant tells Bergman that he's married and can't get a divorce. That doesn't stop them, however, from starting an affair. Everything is going along swimmingly until Bergman discovers the awful truth from her sister: he's actually single, and tells women that because he's "not the marrying kind". This leads to a classic line burned into my brain for the years since I watched it last, "How dare he make love to me and not be a married man!?!" Then she starts to plot revenge...
I didn't know this back then, but turns out it's directed by Stanley Donen, who did musicals like "On The Town", "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers", "Singing In The Rain" and subsequently the quite enjoyable faux Hitchcock romantic thriller, "Charade" (with Grant again and Audrey Hepburn), among many others. Donen's a marvellous director, with nice little framing touches and background details.
One example is when Bergman and Grant travel up in the elevator to her apartment just before they spend their first night together. It's what they call a 50-50 shot, side profiles of the actors on opposite sides of the screen, which brings out the feeling of intimacy. There's no dialogue, just the jazzy music in the background, and they're just staring at each other with soft smiles on their faces for about twenty seconds as the elevator gets to the right floor, and you know exactly what's going through the characters' minds. Few directors could have gotten away with that, and few actors would have had that chemistry to be able to communicate that to the audience.
Grant and Bergman give great performances despite the predictable and lightweight storyline, which is saved on occasion by witty dialogue and a small but wonderful supporting cast. Bergman in particular is spectacular - she goes through the whole gamut of emotions - sadness, joy, suspicion, anger, and her "evil eye" stare is something I wouldn't want anyone giving me because it spells doom and destruction with just a glance. Even in 1958, at age 43, she was still gorgeous and an amazing actress.
The print is only so-so, showing evident signs of age, and there was one scene where the scratches on the film were so obvious it made me wince with sympathy. Couldn't they have found a better print? I don't know - but I'm hoping they transfer as many of these old movies as possible to digital format before the celluloid finally dies.
I also finally caved in and bought "The Philadelphia Story" after waiting years for them to come out with a special edition. I guess I'll just have to live with just the trailer and no commentary or documentary. Of course, with my luck, they'll come out with one in a few months.
My final purchases were "The Hunt For Red October", "Patriot Games" and "Clear and Present Danger". I know. I know. Not great. Everyone has their own little weaknesses, and political/military thrillers happen to be mine. It's my equivalent of Danielle Steele novels.
And now that I know it's out there, I'm going to be scanning the shelves for "Operation Petticoat"...
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no subject
Date: 2001-10-16 09:27 am (UTC)You did have to put that link in about Audrey Hepburn, didn't you? She is one of my all-time favorite actresses, and people. Now I am really regretting my lack of income and ability to get some of the wonderful things available from that site!
no subject
Date: 2001-10-16 08:12 pm (UTC)The one Audrey Hepburn movie I have been waiting to come out on DVD (I always seem to focus on the lesser known works - it's the elitist in me) is Robin and Marian, the story of a middle-aged Robin Hood and Maid Marian. It's a love story in the autumn of their lives, it ends sadly, but it has Sean Connery as Robin in it, so it's really, really cool.
It has also one of the best lines in movie history, in my opinion. When Prince (now King) John asks the Sherrif of Nottingham (played by Robert Shaw) why it is necessary to get rid of Robin, who's taken to Sherwood Forest again, since the outlaw is an old man now, the Sherrif replies simply, "Have you ever tried to kill a legend?"
Ah well. Someday.