The Golden Age: Classic Movie Thread

[LAX]

I was inspired to start this thread after I watched Penny Serenade on TCM last week.

Until now I was never really a Carey Grant fan, but after seeing his performance in this film I suddenly understood what all the Grant fuss was about. He really pulled of an emotional role and I was genuinely moved.

I watched A Place in the Sun with Montgomery Clift and Elizabeth Taylor last night. Robert Osborne was gushing over this film, but I just wasn't feeling it. I normally like Clift and Taylor, but didn't form a connection with either of their characters in this one.

[SweetOblivion]

Oh my goodness, I love this thread so much I'm going to have to come back later after I've organized my thoughts.

For now, I will say that last night I re-watched Nights Of Cabiria for the umpteenth time, and it is still one of the best movies ever made. Giulietta Masina was absolutely amazing, and pulled off one of the most poignant and heartbreaking endings ever put on film. So street smart, yet love-stupid. But always optimistic. Love love love this film.

[proper stranger]

I am a TCM junkie and my screenname is taken from a Natalie Wood/Steve McQueen movie (see current avatar), so I love this thread already!

I just bought The African Queen at Costco this weekend--it finally came out on DVD. Love that movie.

LAX, I saw Penny Serenade years ago and can't bring myself to watch it again because it was so painful. Cary Grant and Irene Dunne (who is sadly underrated nowadays) were wonderful. Cary was always great in lighter roles, but I enjoyed watching him play emotional scenes here and in An Affair to Remember.

Although Clift and Taylor are gorgeous in it, A Place in the Sun isn't one of my favorites, either.

Every year the Los Angeles Conservancy holds a film series in some of the historic movie palaces in Downtown LA. I just got my tickets for Strangers on a Train in June and am psyched. Robert Walker was brilliant as Bruno and I can't wait to see his performance in all of its creepy glory on the big screen.

[MissPandora]

I just bought The African Queen at Costco this weekend--it finally came out on DVD.

Good to know. Thanks.

[margojata]

Apr 20, 2010 16:48:11 GMT -4 LAX said:

I was inspired to start this thread after I watched Penny Serenade on TCM last week.

Until now I was never really a Carey Grant fan, but after seeing his performance in this film I suddenly understood what all the Grant fuss was about. He really pulled of an emotional role and I was genuinely moved.

I watched A Place in the Sun with Montgomery Clift and Elizabeth Taylor last night. Robert Osborne was gushing over this film, but I just wasn't feeling it. I normally like Clift and Taylor, but didn't form a connection with either of their characters in this one.

I just watched Penny Serenade for the first time too! I cried, stupid cried, like a baby. That scene where Cary was pleading his case to the judge .. wonderful. I enjoy him in a bunch of old stuff (Suspicion, and Mr. Blandings Builds his Dream House are my favorites). Not so in love with the 50's-60's Cary. Young Cary was HOT.

Speaking of hot .. I LOVE A Place in the Sun. Mostly because I cannot take my eyes of off Montgomery Clift. He was so damn gorgeous, sensitive, vulnerable. Only he could have played that part and made you almost CHEER for him to drown poor Shelley.

What an awesome thread. I'm a big old movie fan.

[Deleted]

African Queen is fantastic. I love Humphrey Bogart movies and he's just so damn good with Hepburn in that one. Love their chemistry and the humour in it.

Two other of my favourite Bogart movies are The Maltese Falcon and, of course, Casablanca. Both those movies have such great and "non-standard-Hollywood-happy-endings". I really love the scene in Maltese Falcon towards the end when he sees through all her acting and calls her on it, praising her for the performance, yet laughing at her at the same time. And I like To Have and To Have Not. Ok, and pretty much anything else Bogart was in.

[tabby]

The Thin Man! I adore that movie. As someone once said, William Powell and Myrna Loy made being married look like so much fun. And, of course, everyone is three (or more) sheets to the wind through most of it.

[divasahm]

My favorite Cary Grant movie is Bringing Up Baby. Cracks me up every time.

The world needs another Carole Lombard. I've never seen anyone with the same combination of dazzling beauty, wicked comedic timing, and willingness to abandon all dignity in a slapstick situation. To Be Or Not To Be is one of the funniest movies ever made, IMO.

[Daisy Pusher]

Yea! A new home!

Speaking of Irene Dunne (whom I agree is criminally underrated and underanppreciated nowadays), I think her performance in The Awful Truth is one of the greatest comedic performances on film. While she is a delight throughout (especially dancing with Ralph Bellamy), it is the scene with her singing at the recital, and Jerry (Cary Grant), whose leaning back in his chair causes it to crash to the ground, which is pure gold. Dunne's laughter--while singing--was just so effing brilliant.

[Deleted]

Cary Grant is great. He's obviously always a Cary Grant-character, kind of like Bogart was always Bogart-character (and Harrison Ford is pretty much always a Harrison Ford character of some kind...), but when those guys play roles that suit them, they are frigging amazing. I remember seeing a TV-show about Bogart where they talked about how early in his career the studios tried to peg him as a regular, romantic leading man. It didn't work and his roles were pretty crap. Then someone figured out that he was way, way, WAY more suited to the conflicted, hero/anti-hero, noir-style stuff and that's when his career took off.

I also LOVE Bette Davis. All About Eve is my favourite movie of hers: the dialogue in that is brilliant and she absolutely owns the quippiness mixed with vulnerability and bitchiness.