May 2022 Round-Up
TOTAL FILMS SEEN IN MAY: 5
(see the film posters at the bottom of the post, arranged in watching order)
NEW-TO-ME: 4
REWATCHES: 1
SEEN ON THE BIG SCREEN: 3
Rita Hayworth in The Lady From Shanghai
Well, the thing is ... I was busy with the final move to Valencia and settling into our new apartment (we have to move house again but that's another story). And although I didn't watch nearly as many K-dramas as I watched in the previous month, I spent more time dedicated to K-dramas than Classic Hollywood films.
K-drama series watched: One Sunny Day (10 episodes of approx. 15 minutes), Dear My Friends (16 episodes), My Mister (16 episodes) and My Liberation Notes (16 episodes). I started watching Signal and then simultaneously watched My Liberation Notes. In the end I didn't finish Signal and paused after episode 6. Will continue in June. By the way, I absolutely loved My Mister and My Liberation Notes! Dear My Friends was also very good. I never believed my sisters when they told me I wouldn't be watching so many classic films anymore once I had discovered K-dramas. But here I am! Some day I will tell you what is so addictive about K-dramas and why they are so good. Maybe I'll start a blog, haha.
Anyway, what it all boils down to is that I only watched 5!!! classic films, the same amount as last month! Most significant is the fact that I watched 3 of those 5 films on the big screen! At the Filmoteca in my new hometown Valencia! They are: Limelight, The Lady from Shanghai and Touch of Evil.
My most watched actor is Orson Welles with 2 films seen: The Lady from Shanghai and Touch of Evil.
My highest rated film of the month is Touch of Evil, followed by The Lady from Shanghai and Limelight. At the bottom of the small list rank An Innocent Affair and Arch of Triumph.
The Lady from Shanghai is my only rewatch and shamefully I didn't watch any silent films.
Breaking the 5 watched films down in decades:
1900s - 0
1910s - 0
1920s - 0
1930s - 0
1940s - 3
1950s - 2
1960s - 0
NOW LET'S MOVE ON TO THE FILMS!
(read notes with caution as they might contain spoilers; ratings go from ½ to ★★★★★)
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....... Limelight (Celebrated Productions/United Artists, 1952, ★★★), directed by Charlie Chaplin, is the only film where Chaplin and Buster Keaton (both pictured, top photo) appear together. It's also the first film that I watched at the Filmoteca in my new hometown Valencia. I have to say, I was a little bit distracted while watching this, because all of a sudden somebody sat right next to me (while there were enough empty seats elsewhere) and it was the first time this happened at the cinema since Covid. I put on my mask because he was laughing so much. It wasn't even that funny, though I admit the Chaplin and Keaton scene was fun. I really should watch this again some day. It has a beautiful lyrical tone and also some great lines. "That's all any of us are: amateurs. We don't live long enough to be anything else." ....... ....... Watched The Lady from Shanghai (Mercury Productions/Columbia, 1947, ★★★) on the big screen for the second time. The first time was in Barcelona at the Filmoteca, but I hadn't paid much attention then due to lack of sleep. I thought I might like it better now, but despite being awake this film is still not very exciting. Rita Hayworth is a blonde here and I did like seeing her with Orson Welles (both portrayed, middle photo). Most memorable is the terrific finale with the mirror sequence. Welles directed. (By the way, it was my birthday!) ....... ....... Arch of Triumph (Enterprise Productions, 1948, ★★½), starring Ingrid Bergman, Charles Boyer and Charles Laughton, was a disappointment. Laughton's part is shockingly small, and the leads Bergman and Boyer don't make their romance work. I really like Boyer, but Bergman is annoying (pictured together, bottom photo). Strongest asset is the atmospheric black-and-white cinematography by Russell Metty. Directed by Lewis Milestone. .......
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....... An Innocent Affair (James Nasser Productions Inc./United Artists, 1948, ★★½), directed by Lloyd Bacon, is a light romantic comedy with Fred MacMurray and Madeleine Carroll (both pictured, top photo) about a married couple and misunderstandings and jealousy. It stays mild and never reaches its full potential. Could have been so much better. But it's still pleasant fluff. I also liked Rita Johnson as MacMurray's sister. ....... ....... Orson Welles' Touch of Evil (Universal, 1958, ★★★½) is the third film I watched at the Filmoteca this month. It's one of those acclaimed films I'd never seen before and I had hoped it would be shown on the big screen. With great cinematography by Russell Metty and a jazzy music score by Henry Mancini, this film noir didn't completely live up to its famous reputation but it was still a good watch. Charlton Heston as a Mexican is not very believable but fortunately his brownface was only really discernible in one daytime scene where he sat in the car. I'm not a fan of Janet Leigh but she's well cast as Heston's wife. Joseph Calleia, Akim Tamiroff and heavyweight Orson Welles round out the rest of the main cast. And Dennis Weaver is funny and over the top as the neurotic motel night manager. He had Janet Leigh as a guest in his motel but he wasn't exactly Norman Bates. .......
Well, that's it for now. Can't believe I've only seen 5 classic films again! I hope to redeem this very soon, but with my ever-growing K-drama watchlist I'm not getting my hopes up too much. Stay tuned for next month's round-up and enjoy the start of the summer!
