While I had tons of time to read, and walk, and have visitors, and write, and dream, I also had an orgy of movie-watching out on the Island. I brought some movies with me, but for the most part, I kept my TV on TCM the entire time and went wild, seeing whatever was on.
Some I took notes on, others I didn’t. Here is the list of total movies seen in the month of January, with notes when applicable. Oh, and my “mirror” notes are part of that damn post I’ve been percolating over for literally years: men looking at themselves in the mirror in film. Basically, my theory is now bust (that men looking at themselves in the mirror in every other movie began in the 70s mostly)- I love that my original theory is now bust – it puts the post (in my head) in a whole new and exciting direction. And it actually ends up proving my original point.
Darjeeling Limited
Period of Adjustment
Two Weeks in Another Town
All Fall Down
Young Lovers
The Informer – NY Film Critics Best Picture of the Year, 1935
— shot in one month
— “nauseating, beastly” – Catholic Legion of Decency (focused on the scenes in the brothel) – “an insult to Celtic women”
Play Girl
— effed-up pre-Code
Life Begins
— maternity ward
“What’s it for?”
“I’m not supposed to tell you but the doctor wouldn’t order it if you didn’t need it”
Heroes For Sale – Richard Barthelmess
— great!
She Had to Say Yes
Key to the City
— Clark Gable, Loretta Young
The Scarlet Empress
— awesome Marlene Dietrich
Finishing School
Registered Nurse
Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison
Fear Strikes Out
— Red Sox!! Jimmy Pearsall
— great, moving, ahead of its time, portrayal of mental illness
— Karl Malden, Anthony Perkins
Tender Mercies
— Haunting. I’ve seen it a bunch but this last time I was really struck by how effective Tess Harper is in that part. Not an easy part. She inhabits it like she was born to play it.
Two Girls and a Sailor
The Great Debaters
The Double Life of Veronique
A Place in the Sun
Play Girl
— Kay Francis
Searching for Bobby Fischer
The Feminine Touch
— Drunk man on phone to operator: “Hello? Yes, I’d like Sydney Australia … No one in particular, just Sydney, Australia.”
Comrade X
— Love!!
— “co-pilot, co-co pilot and co-co-co pilot.” “Stop stuttering.”
— “Comrade, I am obeying you blindly.”
Night Must Fall
— Mirror moment!!
Rage in Heaven
— Robert Montgomery, George Sanders, Ingrid Bergman
— great
A Woman’s Face
— fave of mine
Cast a Dark Shadow
— Dirk Bogarde
Sounder
The Band Wagon
The Fountainhead
The Subject Was Roses
In a Lonely Place
Funny People
Rain
— Joan Crawford
— holy crap
The Whole Town’s Talking
— Edward G. Robinson
— Mirror moment!!
The Long Night
— Mirror!!
5th Avenue Girl
— adore this movie
The Wedding Night
— sad. Touching
Philadelphia Story
— CK Dexter Haven is a deceptively simple part. It’s actually quite difficult to get it right – without coming off as awful or condescending. Grant nails it.
Johnny Guitar
— brill
The Adventures of Mark Twain
— Fredric March is killing me
A Woman’s Face is fascinating. The old Swedish version with Ingrid Bergman. You can see the budding of the brilliance she’d become.