tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7610074516299275060.post6497143156498146828..comments2024-01-21T11:18:54.087-05:00Comments on Lost in the Movies: Remembering the Movies, Oct. 22 - 28Joel Bockohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11238338958380683893noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7610074516299275060.post-20778076765077065332010-10-27T08:26:14.574-04:002010-10-27T08:26:14.574-04:00Yeah, I looked it up on IMDb and no KKK so presuma...Yeah, I looked it up on IMDb and no KKK so presumably he had better things to do at the time!<br /><br />That's not a good story, that's a friggin' awesome story! Not sure what the SS age was in the early 40s but if it was 65 it probably couldn't be true. Still, I can see Ford using that to taunt Wayne on set ("gee, even my 60-year-old brother found a way in, ya chickenhawk...")Joel Bockohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11238338958380683893noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7610074516299275060.post-21869089395461655562010-10-27T01:24:21.021-04:002010-10-27T01:24:21.021-04:00Francis was already a star and I think a director ...Francis was already a star and I think a director by the time "Birth of a Nation" was in production, so I'm pretty sure he wasn't a klansman. <br /><br />There's a great story that Francis ran away from home and lied about his age to join the army during the Spanish-American war, but got sent home when the truth was discovered. When World War Two started, he wasn't working much, mostly small parts in John's movies, so he dyed his hair black and lied about his age and joined the army. He was doing fine in training camp until a mail call, when he received his Social Security check. He got sent home again. It may not be true, but it's a good story.Joe Thompsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18432403721377989684noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7610074516299275060.post-86689970769262760612010-10-26T23:59:08.516-04:002010-10-26T23:59:08.516-04:00I'll look up that anecdote - sounds fun.
As f...I'll look up that anecdote - sounds fun.<br /><br />As for Stars & Bars, as I'll be saying in an entry later this week, on a bizarre Italian comedy, doing this series has led me to a lot of fascinating films and people I hadn't heard of before. Gaston & Francis definitely fall into that category; I haven't read the whole Senses of Cinema article yet but what I did was really interesting. Big age gap between John & Francis too - I remember hearing that it was Francis who brought the younger Ford out to Hollywood in the first place; I know John was a Klansman in Birth, was Francis too?Joel Bockohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11238338958380683893noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7610074516299275060.post-38281202456027310172010-10-26T22:54:15.907-04:002010-10-26T22:54:15.907-04:00When TCM showed "The Magnificent Seven" ...When TCM showed "The Magnificent Seven" James Coburn, iirc, told a wonderful story about how Steve McQueen did everything possible to bug the heck out of pompous Yul Brynner. The movie is ok, but not as good as "Seven Samurai." The best all-star western from the 1960s is "The Professionals." <br /><br />"L'Age d'Or" upset people in film class, but not as much as "The Andulsian Dog." <br /><br />All of Keaton's silent shorts are good. <br /><br />Very interesting about "Under the Stars and Bars." Gaston Melies made a lot of movies in the US. It's sad the survival rate of all cinema from the silent period is so poor. Francis Ford was a great character who helped get his brother John started in the industry.Joe Thompsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14165780971886135575noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7610074516299275060.post-32076191560081773372010-10-24T10:36:43.392-04:002010-10-24T10:36:43.392-04:00Amazing how ubiquitous Morricone is, isn't it?...Amazing how ubiquitous Morricone is, isn't it? And fun to read about the Bergman, if not to see it...Joel Bockohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11238338958380683893noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7610074516299275060.post-7396527683640613402010-10-24T08:50:30.396-04:002010-10-24T08:50:30.396-04:00Great to see that Melies and early Bergman feature...Great to see that Melies and early Bergman features here too!Sam Julianonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7610074516299275060.post-33096738187917386412010-10-24T08:43:30.423-04:002010-10-24T08:43:30.423-04:00L'AGE D'OR is one of the great ones by one...L'AGE D'OR is one of the great ones by one of the cinema's most profound surrealists; THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN is aobviously one of the most eternally popular titles, and MALENA features of the most gorgeous of all Ennio Morricone's scores. (which nearly steals the film in fact)<br /><br />As always, a diverse lot and a passionate showcase.Sam Julianonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7610074516299275060.post-65523176851092911862010-10-22T18:00:42.533-04:002010-10-22T18:00:42.533-04:00Jaime, funny I didn't - I find the approach I ...Jaime, funny I didn't - I find the approach I take to these write-ups is kind of random, but it would have been good to include that (especially since there will be other opportunities to write about Bunuel's larger career). Not sure why it slipped my mind...<br /><br />L'Age d'Or is very probably my favorite Bunuel, who is probably my weakest link in the Great Auteur chain - I just don't respond to his work the way most film fans seem to. Not sure why - my review of The Exterminating Angel gets into it a bit, in terms of that specific film.Joel Bockohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11238338958380683893noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7610074516299275060.post-68727313128427769232010-10-22T14:22:10.816-04:002010-10-22T14:22:10.816-04:00The Magnificent Seven is one of the most watchable...The Magnificent Seven is one of the most watchable westerns I've seen, it's not a favorite by far and it has the disadvantage to be a remake of one of the best movies of all time.<br />Another one of the best films of all time is "L'Age D'Or" and how you wrote about it was perfect, this is my favorite Buñuel, no doubt about it, many think it shades in comparison to "Un chien andalou", but I think this attempt at plot was better than the still perfect surrealist short feature. Being this pieces you write about the day they were premiered, it's curious that you didn't write about how it went down and how it was never shown again.<br />I wanted to see the Convict 13 short, but I have no time, maybe some other day.<br />Good work as always.Jaime Grijalbahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00175192502767519362noreply@blogger.com