July 2018 Round-Up
TOTAL FILMS SEEN IN JULY: 12
(see the film posters at the bottom of the post, arranged in watching order)
NEW-TO-ME: 10
REWATCHES: 2
SEEN ON THE BIG SCREEN: 7
MOST WATCHED ACTRESS: Bette Davis (3 in total)
I had hoped to see some improvement in my movie watching this month (compared to last month when I only watched 16 films) but sadly it was even worse. No more than 12 films! Well, the positive thing is that I saw 7 on the big screen at the Filmoteca and among them was one of my favourite Bette Davis movies, Dark Victory (with George Brent and Geraldine Fitzgerald). I think Bette never looked prettier than in Dark Victory. Love her hair and clothes. Unfortunately Brent's usually wooden performance is even more accentuated when seen on the big screen but I love him anyway. I have seen this many times already but the ending still elicits tears.
Luckily there was also another Davis film programmed (new to me), Dead Ringer. I watched this with two of my sisters and my 11-year-old niece. We were pretty sure that my niece would fall asleep but she stayed awake throughout the entire film and could understand the main part of it (original version in English with Catalan subtitles). My younger sister, who mainly watches contemporary films, was reminded again how great classic films are and how well acted, not so surprisingly when the main performer is Bette Davis, aided by the always competent Karl Malden. This is really a great film with some truly thrilling moments.
These are the other films I watched on the big screen (in watching order):
Angels With Dirty Faces (with James Cagney, Pat O'Brien and Ann Sheridan)
Camille (with Greta Garbo and Robert Taylor)
Strait-Jacket (with Joan Crawford, Diane Baker and Leif Erickson)
The Picture of Dorian Gray (with George Sanders, Hurd Hatfield, Donna Reed and Angela Lansbury)
Peyton Place (with Lana Turner, Lee Philips, Lloyd Nolan, Arthur Kennedy, Russ Tamblyn, Hope Lange and Diane Varsi)
Angels With Dirty Faces is my highest rated film of these five forementioned films. First time I'd seen this film was in January this year so I still remembered most of it (this film and Dark Victory were the only rewatches this month). The reason I watched it again so soon was the opportunity to see it on the big screen and fortunately the print was very clear. I found The Dead End Kids a bit annoying at times but James Cagney and Pat O'Brien are great, as is their chemistry (they starred in nine films together and off-screen they were lifelong friends). The ending is the best part of the film, the scene where O'Brien pleads with Cagney to show fear. The cinematography by Sol Polito is beautiful, especially during the walk from Cagney's prison cell to the death chamber. And it is always a joy to see Ann Sheridan.
I also really enjoyed The Picture of Dorian Gray and Peyton Place. Hurd Hatfield (unknown to me) as Dorian Gray was a nice surprise. His straight face and lack of emotions suit his role as Gray well. It's also nice to see Angela Lansbury this young. I love the story premise and this film makes me want to read the novel again. Peyton Place is quintessential soap. The film has a long running time but never gets boring, it's just very entertaining, even though at times it is corny and Mills & Boon-like. The characters I liked most are played by Russ Tamblyn, Hope Lange and Lloyd Nolan.
I was a bit disappointed with Camille, also because Dumas' story is pretty dreary. I had high hopes for Garbo's performance because it's often lauded as one of her best. It wasn't as good as I had hoped it would be but in the final scenes she really delivered. I was impressed with how good she was.
Strait-Jacket is a campy thriller, not one of Joan Crawford's best films. One of the first scenes where Crawford happens to stumble on an axe is quite laughable. Still, it's an enjoyable watch, even though it's pretty predictable who the killer is. Diane Baker always reminds me of Audrey Hepburn and looks pretty here.
And what else did I watch at home?
Not much, only 5 films more. Three of them were pretty silly: Free and Easy (with Robert Cummings and Ruth Hussey), Public Wedding (with Jane Wyman, William Hopper and Dick Purcell), and Gambling on the High Seas (with Jane Wyman and Wayne Morris). With Public Wedding I had a hard time wrapping my sleepy and tired head around the improbable and silly plot turns, and though pretty young Wyman in her first leading role makes this watchable, it's also totally forgettable. Same goes for the other two films mentioned. Mildly fun while watching them but the next day you cannot remember much about them. The Final Edition is undoubtedly the best of the five films and the most enjoyable, and Mae Clarke and Pat O'Brien have good chemistry. The Big Shakedown has Bette Davis and Charles Farrell, so that's worth a watch anyway. And it was entertaining too.
So that rounds it up for this month. Again hoping to see more films for the next round-up!
PHOTOS/GIFS IN THIS POST FROM TOP TO BOTTOM:
*Dark Victory (1939) with Bette Davis and George Brent;
*Dark Victory (1939) with Bette Davis;
*Dark Victory (1939) with Bette Davis and Geraldine Fitzgerald;
*Dead Ringer (1964) with Bette Davis and Bette Davis;
*Angels with Dirty Faces (1938) with Ann Sheridan and James Cagney;
*Angels with Dirty Faces (1938) with Ann Sheridan and James Cagney;
*Angels with Dirty Faces (1938) with James Cagney and Pat O'Brien;
*The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945) with Angela Lansbury;
*The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945) with Donna Reed and Hurd Hatfield;
*Peyton Place (1957) with Diane Varsi and Russ Tamblyn;
*Camille (1936) with Greta Garbo;
*Camille (1936) with Greta Garbo and Robert Taylor;
*Strait-Jacket (1964) with Joan Crawford;
*The Big Shakedown (1934) with Charles Farrell and Bette Davis;
*Public Wedding (1937) with Dick Purcell, Jane Wyman, William Hopper and Berton Churchill;
*The Final Edition (1932) with Phil Tead, James Donlan, Pat O'Brien and Mae Clarke.