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lebiglebowski
some of my favorite directors:
-Orson Welles
-Alfred Hitchcock
-Fritz Lang
-Jules Dassin
-Powell & Pressburger
-Billy Wilder
-Ingmar Bergman
-John Ford
-Samuel Fuller
-Carol Reed
-John Huston
-Federico Fellini
-Akira Kurosawa
-Stanley Donen
-Michael Curtiz
-George Cukor
-Elia Kazan
-Jean Renoir
-Frank Capra
-Martin Scorsese
-Victor Flemming
-Jean Vigo
-Howard Hawks
-Francois Truffaut
-Preston Sturges
Here are a few from the top shelf of my DVD/Bluray collection:
-Citizen Kane - Orson Welles (1941)
-Casablanca - Michael Curtiz(1943)
-The Third Man - Carol Reed (1949)
-Seven Samurai - Akira Kurosawa(1954)
-Touch of Evil - Orson Welles (1958)
-Rules of The Game - Jean Renoir (1939)
-Vertigo - Alfred Hitchcock (1958)
-Charade - Stanley Donen (1963)
-Double Indemnity - Billy Wilder (1944)
-The Naked City - Jules Dassin
-400 Blows - Francois Truffaut (1959)
-The Grand Illusion - Jean Renoir (1937)
-8 1/2 - Federico Fellini (1963)
-The Seventh Seal - Ingmar Bergman (1957)
-Kiss Me Deadly - Robert Aldrich (1955)
-The Magnificent Ambersons - Orson Welles (1942)
-The Red Shoes - Powell & Pressburger (1948)
-Gaslight - George Cukor (1944)
-The Naked Kiss - Samuel Fuller (1964)
-Experiment In Terror - Blake Edwards (1962)
-The Black Narcissus - Powell & Pressburger (1946)
-The Maltese Falcon - John Houston (1941)
-Now Voyager - Irving Rapper (1942)
-Sunset Blvd. - Billy Wilder (1950)
-The Big Sleep - Howard Hawks (1946)
-All About Eve - Joe Mankiewicz (1950)
-North By Northwest - Alfred Hitchcock (1959)
-The Trial - Orson Welles (1962)
-Laura - Otto Preminger (1944)
-The Lost Weekend - Billy Wilder (1945)
-The Lady Eve - Preston Sturges (1941)
-Night of The Hunter - Charles Laughton (1955)
-The Searchers - John Ford (1956)
-On The Waterfront - Elia Kazan (1954)
-Battleship Potemkin - Sergei Eisenstein (1925)
-The General - Buster Keaton (1927)
-Breathless - Jean-Luc Godard (1959)
-The Big Heat - Fritz Lang (1953)
-Sweet Smell Of Success - Alexander Mackendrick (1957)
-L'Atalante - Jean Vigo (1934)
-Metropolis - Fritz Lang (1927)
-Out Of The Past - Jacques Tourneur (1947)
-The Lady Vanishes - Alfred Hitchcock (1938)
-Mr. Arkadin - Orson Welles (1955)
-Rear Window - Alfred Hitchcock (1954)
-The Killers - Robert Siodmak (1946)
-The Lady From Shanghai - Orson Welles (1947)
-Ace In The Hole - Billy Wilder (1951)
-Brute Force - Jules Dassin
-Midnight Lace - David Miller (1960)
-Murder My Sweet - Edward Dmytryk (1944)
-FAMOUS QUOTES-
Here are some Alfred Hitchcock Personal Quotes:
-The length of a film should be directly related to the endurance of the human bladder
-There is no terror in the bang, only in the anticipation of it.
-Even my failures make money and become classics a year after I make them.
-Drama is life with the dull bits left out.
-When accepting the American Film Institute Life Achievement award he said "I beg permission to mention by name only four people who have given me the most affection, appreciation, and encouragement, and constant collaboration. The first of the four is a film editor, the second is a scriptwriter, the third is the mother of my daughter Pat, and the fourth is as fine a cook as ever performed miracles in a domestic kitchen. And their names are Alma Reville." Which is Hitch's wife.
-Some films are slices of life, mine are slices of cake.
-I enjoy playing the audience like a piano.
-To Ingrid Bergman for encouragment on a scene "Ingrid - fake it!"
-It's only a movie, and, after all, we're all grossly overpaid.
-There is nothing quite so good as a burial at sea. It is simple, tidy, and not very incriminating.
-Man does not live by murder alone. He needs affection, approval, encouragement and, occasionally, a hearty meal.
-Film your murders like love scenes, and film your love scenes like murders.
-If it's a good movie, the sound could go off and the audience would still have a perfectly clear idea of what was going on.
-One doesn't direct Cary Grant, One just puts him in front of the camera.
Here are some Quotes by Orson Welles:
-I started at the top and worked down.
-I'm not bitter about Hollywood's treatment of me, but over its treatment of Griffith, Von Sternberg, Von Stroheim, Buster Keaton and a hundred others.
-Movie directing is the perfect refuge for the mediocre.
-My doctor told me to stop having intimate dinners for four. Unless there are three other people.
Here are some personal quotes from Billy Wilder:
-Some pictures play wonderfully to a room of eight people. I don't go for that. I go for the masses. I go for the end effect.
-Anyone who doesn't believe in miracles isn't a realist.
-The Wilder message is don't bore - don't bore people.
-I just made pictures I would've liked to see.
-Today we spend 80% of the time making deals and 20% making pictures.
A quote by Stanley Donen:
-For me directing is like having sex: when it's good, it's very good; but when it's bad, it's still good.
Lists
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Wicked Stepmother (1989)
This film is a crime against Bette Davis!
This film is nothing short of a criminal act! Was nobody looking out for poor, frail (almost dead) Bette Davis?? The filmmaker supposedly was trying to offer the legend what she wanted most, To work.. but I say that everyone who was involved with the making of this catastrophe that stood by and allowed an already dead Bette Davis to be shamed like this is GUILTY of a crime! A crime against everything that we classic film lovers and fans of Bette Davis hold dear. I realize that Bette walked off the film, some say because of her failing health, others say Bette (as sick as she was) knew that this steaming pile was beneath her. Whatever the reason I am glad that we can at least say that Bette walked off because this STAIN on her glorious career is as bad as I have ever seen! I almost turned it off after only 15min and then I forced myself to watch until the point that Bette walked off. If someone wants to see a Bette Davis film then I recommend they watch All About Eve or Now Voyager or The Letter... or if you want to see a "farewell" performance then watch The Whales of August which co stars Lillian Gish, Vincent Price, Ann Southern and Harry Carey Jr. In closing I just want to say that I am a film historian and preservationist at heart and I would NEVER think of making my next statement if I didn't feel it was the best solution, that being said I feel that this film should be erased from history.. All it does is tarnish the memory of one of the greatest actresses that ever graced stage or screen. Nothing whatsoever can be gained from viewing this film, if so I would not say that I feel it should be completely deleted. I don't expect everyone to agree with me but I hope that all of you Bette Davis fans that haven't seen this movie yet will PLEASE SKIP this one! Then for all the Bette Davis fans and classic movie lovers/buffs that have seen some or all of this excrement, don't remember Bette this way, she was so wonderful and full of life in All About Eve, remember her that way.
If anyone involved in the making of Wicked Stepmother reads this - SHAME ON YOU!
I am adding a list of what I consider "must see" films for film lovers so if you don't want to see my list stop here. Thanks!
Here are a few of my favorite dvds that I recommend watching- -Citizen Kane - Orson Welles (1941) -Casablanca - MichaelCurtiz(1943) -The Third Man - Carol Reed (1949) -Seven Samurai - Akira Kurosawa(1954) -Touch of Evil - Orson Welles (1958) -Rules of The Game - Jean Renoir (1939) -Singing In The Rain - Stanley Donen (1952) -Vertigo - Alfred Hitchcock (1958) -Charade - Stanley Donen (1963) -Double Indemnity - Billy Wilder (1944) -Gone With The Wind - Victor Flemming/George Cukor (1939) -Lawrence of Arabia - David Lean (1962) -The Godfather - Francis Ford Coppola (1972) -Wizard of Oz - Victor Flemming (1939) -400 Blows - Francois Truffaut (1959) -The Grand Illusion - Jean Renoir (1937) -8 1/2 - Federico Fellini (1963) -The Seventh Seal - Ingmar Bergman (1957) -The Magnificent Ambersons - Orson Welles (1942) -The Red Shoes - Powell & Pressburger (1948) -Treasure of the Sierra Madre - John Houston (1948) -Gaslight - George Cukor (1944) -The Black Narcissus - Powell & Pressburger (1946) -The Maltese Falcon - John Houston (1941) -Now Voyager - Irving Rapper (1942) -Sunset Blvd. - Billy Wilder (1950) -The Big Sleep - Howard Hawks (1946) -All About Eve - Joe Mankiewicz (1950) -North By Northwest - Alfred Hitchcock (1959) -The Trial - Orson Welles (1962) -Laura - Otto Preminger (1944) -The Lost Weekend - Billy Wilder (1945) -The Lady Eve - Preston Sturges (1941) -Night of The Hunter - Charles Laughton (1955) -The Searchers - John Ford (1956) -On The Waterfront - Elia Kazan (1954) -Battleship Potemkin - Sergei Eisenstein (1925) -The General - Buster Keaton (1927) -Breathless - Jean-Luc Godard (1959) -Sweet Smell Of Success - Alexander Mackendrick (1957) -L'Atalante - Jean Vigo (1934) -Metropolis - Fritz Lang (1927) -Out Of The Past - Jacques Tourneur (1947) -The Lady Vanishes - Alfred Hitchcock (1938) -Mr. Arkadin - Orson Welles (1955) -Rear Window - Alfred Hitchcock (1954) -The Killers - Robert Siodmak (1946) -The Lady From Shanghai - Orson Welles (1947) -Ace In The Hole - Billy Wilder (1951) -The Thief of Bagdad - Michael Powell (1940)
and if you are trying to discover something that you have never seen. Then do a search of any of the following directors and check out their work.
-Orson Welles -Alfred Hitchcock -Powell & Pressburger -Billy Wilder -Ingmar Bergman -John Ford -Carol Reed -John Houston -Federico Fellini -Akira Kurosawa -Stanley Donen -Michael Curtiz -George Cukor -Elia Kazan -Jean Renoir -Frank Capra -Martin Scorsese -Victor Flemming -Jean Vigo -Howard Hawks -Francois Truffaut -Preston Sturges
The Wind (1928)
The Wind ....Hitchcockian???
OK first I would like to say that I am commenting on this movie after only seeing once it years ago on TCM. What made me think to comment was just this, I was watching a documentary the other day on Silent Film History and saw some clips from "The Wind". Now I never thought about what I am about to mention before, probably because the last time I saw "The Wind" I didn't own every Hitchcock DVD and box set there is as I do now (On Hitchcock: I both own and recommend Warner Bros 9dvd Signature Box, Universals 15dvd Masterpiece Collection Box, The New MGM/UA Premiere Collection Box and then to assemble the rest of his early films you can do it a few different ways also you have to buy To Catch A Thief and a few others as individual dvds).
POSSIBLE SPOILERS...
OK now what I want to ask is: Does "The Wind" contain Hitchcockian elements?? I haven't seen the film in some time and only recently have I seen clips. Also the time I did see the film it was already a few minutes into the story. Only one year after Hitchcock's "The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog" (1927), and some decades before the term "Hitchcockian" would come to be, I believe that The Wind does have Hitchcockian elements. As for these elements some may say that just because a film contains elements of great suspense or the use of an average(everyman/woman), innocent character being plunged into events that are almost unexpected if not definitely unwanted doesn't mean that this film is inspired by or can be coined as Hitchcockian. The term seems to be most widely used these days to describe certain films that seem to have been inspired by or that contain obvious elements of Hitchcock design such as the ever popular plot device "The MacGuffin"(or McGuffin if you prefer). While I am no film expert and mainly just a huge film collector/nut that happens to love classic cinema both silent and sound, I am interested in whether or not Victor Sjöström could have possibly seen one of Hitchcock's 6 or 7 films that had been released prior to "The Wind" in 1928.. Surely living in the UK he would have heard of Alfred Hitchcock at that time. While Sjöström was from Sweden and may have seen one or more of Hitchcock's films prior to filming "The Wind" I am sure that the Hitchcockian elements that I felt I saw in "The Wind" were just elements of another great director; Victor Sjöström.
I guess being such a die hard Hitchcock fan I see elements of his genius in many other films, especially if they have any great moments of suspense such as the moment when Gish stares out that window (already maddened by the sand blowing and what had just occurred) only to see the horrible wind uncovering her most recent discarded item...
The Wind is a Great film and I give it an easy 9/10!
Cape Fear (1962)
Here comes Team Hitchcock....
I would like to begin by saying that I started building my film library years ago and along with Citizen Kane, Casablanca, Gone With The Wind, Double Indemnity etc...Cape Fear was one of my first additions. This film, full of all the right ingredients(some are planned and some are not), stands out as one of the best thriller/dramas of the 60s. Now there were plenty in the 40s and 50s especially with the likes of Billy Wilder's Double Indemnity, Sunset Blvd. etc.. and Alfred Hitchcock's many unforgettable thrillers like Vertigo, Strangers on a Train, Shadow of a Doubt, Dial M for Murder, North by Northwest, Notorious, Rebecca, etc.. However once the 1960s came along there weren't quiet as many film noir type dramas as in the previous two decades. Now I'm not forgetting the film that started the 60's off with a bang: Psycho.. and I am very aware of all( and I do mean all) of the great dramas of the 60's but Cape Fear still stands out as one of the best of its time.
To begin Greg Peck who was producing at the time came up with a great title/name change and the novel The Executioners became the film Cape Fear. Peck while working on the Guns of Navarone took a liking to J. Lee Thompson's direction and asked him to direct Cape Fear. From that point on the team just got better and better. Here comes Team Hitchcock.... Bernard Herman who had scored more than a half dozen Hitchcock films was on board for the score. Next an art direction great and collaborator of Hitchcock Bob Boyle was hired. Then one of the best editors in film history, and once again a friend and collaborator of Hitchcock, George Tomasini was going to be the editor of Cape Fear. What a team! Now there are many other connections to Hitchcock through this film. For instance J. Lee Thompson had worked as an assistant on a film with Hitchcock many years ago(pre Rebecca). Also Thomas Tuttle who was the make-up artist on Cape Fear was the brother of one of Hitchcocks main make-up men William Tuttle. There were also actors like Martin Balsam that had worked for Hitchcock before(Psycho). So anyway all of these connections are probably part of the reason this film screams "This is an Alfred Hitchcock film".
I am not going to go very far into the plot other than to mention its a great story. Greg Peck plays a very believable lawyer in a small southern town who has testified 8 or so yrs earlier against Mitchum (Cady). This Max Cady (Mitchum) never forgot and is now out of prison and ready to exact all of the pain and years of suffering on Peck and his family. Let the thrills begin in this Hitchcockian style Drama. As Max Cady begins his evil game of cat and mouse we find out when he is picked up by the local police that he has been studying the very law that put him behind bars and is more than prepared for his frightening hunt. What will happen next? This film will definitely keep you on the edge of your seat and I regard it as one of my all-time favorite thrillers.
Rose Red (2002)
Overall a truly scary haunted house thrill ride!! Bravo Mr. King!
Stephen King and everyone who was a part of the making of Rose Red really did an magnificent job. I believe Rose Red to be the best haunted house film/mini series I have ever seen! Now there are very few details that I would have enjoyed an elaboration on(of course we all want more when the good show ends don't we?). The story of Rose Red is one that is loosely based on The Winchester Mansion and its lifelong widowed resident Sara Winchester. The film is full of wonderful acting and great direction, not tomention some cool effects inside the huge mansion. All of the scare scenes were tasteful in presentation and not overly gory. I don't want to tell you all too much because I do not want to spoil this wonderful mini-series for everyone. I would recommend this mini seriesto anyone who enjoys a good scare, also to anyone who enjoys a well written original storyline that has plenty of twists and turns to keep you excited and on the edge of your seat until the end! In closing I must say that Rose Red in my opinion is a must watch original and a haunted house triumph for Mr. Stephen King.
P.S.- I also recommend getting the DVD set of Rose Red so that you can see all of the great special features in which you will see an interview with Stephen King and the Director. Not to mention all the other cool features that come along with the DVD set.