August 2018 Round-Up
TOTAL FILMS SEEN IN AUGUST: 8
(see the film posters at the bottom of the post, arranged in watching order)
NEW-TO-ME: 8
REWATCHES: 0
SEEN ON THE BIG SCREEN: 2
MOST WATCHED ACTRESS: Bette Davis (3 in total)
This month experienced a very low film count of only 8 films watched in total. I thought it couldn't get any worse than last month (I had only seen 12 films then) but yes, apparently it can.
Only two films were seen on the big screen at the Filmoteca, both first watches, which means there were no rewatches this month (I don't have to time to rewatch films at home since there is so much new stuff to see already). The films I saw at the Filmoteca are Where Love Has Gone and Strangers When We Meet. (In comparison, last year August I watched 18 films at the Filmoteca due to the Ford/Hawks retrospective.)
Where Love Has Gone is a drab movie inspired by the true story of Lana Turner whose daughter killed Lana's gangster lover. This could have been more exciting but it's based on a novel by Harold Robbins and maybe that should say enough. Susan Hayward and Bette Davis could not save this movie, even though their performances are solid (but not great), and it doesn't help that the lead male part is being played by dull Mike Connors. The flashback scenes with Hayward and Connors are pretty awful. I do like Jane Greer and also some of the set design and costumes.
Fortunately, Strangers When We Meet (starring Kirk Douglas, Kim Novak and Barbara Rush) is a much better film of which I had some expectations due to positive reviews. Well, they've been met because it's a good soap-opera with solid performances. For me the biggest surprise was Barbara Rush. She is really good as Douglas' wife and it's probably one of her better dramatic performances. But I have never cared much for Novak and I still don't. Can't actually see the appeal of her. And Walter Matthau really gave me the creeps so that was well acted.
I also saw two more Bette Davis films this month at home, Ex-Lady and That Certain Woman, both more enjoyable than Where Love Has Gone.
Ex-Lady (with Gene Raymond) is progressive and provocative, and deliciously pre-code. I totally enjoyed it but can see why this also gets some bad reviews because there's basically not much happening and it can be experienced as dull and boring. But I love Bette's independent character and her performance and the way she looks and the dresses she wears. Also her chemistry with Raymond (who is a bit bland but I don't mind very much) is great and their necking scenes seem real. And I love the dialogue which is quite ahead of its time:
Don: "I'm just about fed up with sneaking in ... let's get married so I'll have the right to be with you."
Helen: "What do you mean 'right'? I don't like the word 'right'."
Don: "Let's not quibble about words."
Helen: "No, I'm not quibbling, 'right' means something. No one has any 'rights' about me, except me."
I didn't have any expectations of the other Davis' film That Certain Woman (with Henry Fonda, Anita Louise and Ian Hunter) and was pleasantly surprised that I really enjoyed it. It was more melodramatic than I thought it would be. The best thing by far is Davis. Love her likeable character, her natural and subdued performance, and how young and lovely she looks. I love Fonda too but his character is a bit feeble. I like Hunter's character much more and would have liked to see Bette end up with him. Well, that never happened because (spoiler alert!) ... he dies. In the end Anita Louise makes an appearance as Fonda's crippled wife and Davis decides all of a sudden to commit a selfless act. It was a bit too much melodrama for me then but I was glad with the ultimate happy ending because I felt so sad for lonely Bette.
Two films I've been meaning to see for a very long time, Dragonwyck and Sadie McKee, didn't disappoint. I watched Dragonwyck on a plane ride. Though I had expected a bit more, it was still a good gothic noir and very entertaining. Great performances from Walter Huston and Vincent Price and how I love Gene Tierney! She's so lovely. Also beautiful cinematography by Arthur C. Miller. And look out for a very young Jessica Tandy.
Sadie McKee stars a young Joan Crawford, involved with three men, Gene Raymond, Franchot Tone and Edward Arnold. At first I thought she was going to end up with Raymond so I concentrated on the wrong guy. But Tone was clearly the nicer one. It was great to see Crawford and Tone together before they were married in real life (1935 - 1939). Crawford looks lovely here in Adrian costumes and I love the scene where Raymond is singing softly to her. Special mention goes to Jean Dixon who steals every scene she's in, and also Arnold gives a good performance as the drunk millionaire.
Only two more films to mention, Chicago Calling and The Patient in Room 18.
Chicago Calling is a tense drama (which I thought was going to be a noir) and Dan Duryea gives a good performance. He really makes us feel his despair, though I found the scene where he receives the bad news on the phone about his daughter a tad overdone. But the scene-stealer here is the little boy Gordon Gebert (from Holiday Affair) and I loved the relationship between the two. There are also some great shots by cinematographer Robert de Grasse. A fine little film about the unexpected kindness of strangers.
The Patient in Room 18 (with Ann Sheridan and Patric Knowles) is pretty forgettable. I already can't remember much of it. I can recall having seen this right before going to sleep and during the film I had trouble staying awake due to tiredness. Also the murder case here lacks excitement. Knowles is pretty boring but I always like Sheridan (repeating her nurse Keate role from Mystery House). She's the one who ultimately makes this watchable.
So! Those were ALL the 8 films I watched in August! Pretty sad. But I will get a new chance every month to improve my movie watching. And the Filmoteca has a Rita Hayworth retrospective scheduled for September so my theater viewings will definitely improve then. Stay tuned!
PHOTOS/GIFS IN THIS POST FROM TOP TO BOTTOM:
*Ex-Lady (1933) with Bette Davis;
*Strangers When We Meet (1960) with Kim Novak, John Bryant, Barbara Rush and Kirk Douglas;
*Where Love Has Gone (1964) with Bette Davis, George Macready, Joey Heatherton and Susan Hayward;
*Ex-Lady (1933) with Bette Davis and Gene Raymond;
*That Certain Woman (1937) with Bette Davis and Henry Fonda;
*That Certain Woman (1937) with Bette Davis and Anita Louise;
*Dragonwyck (1946) with Gene Tierney and Connie Marshall;
*Dragonwyck (1946) with Gene Tierney;
*Sadie McKee (1934) with Joan Crawford;
*Sadie McKee (1934) with Joan Crawford and Franchot Tone;
*Sadie McKee (1934) with Joan Crawford and Gene Raymond;
*Chicago Calling (1952) with Dan Duryea and Gordon Gebert;
*The Patient In Room 18 (1938) with Ann Sheridan and Patric Knowles.
