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Post by idioticbunny on Jul 3, 2017 19:39:18 GMT
I've officially finished a year full of films that had been at the top of my watch-list since I first got into film. If I had made a list, both City Lights and M would probably have been in the top ten films I still really wanted to see. And naturally, like films I put way too much hype into, both disappointed slightly. But there was still so much to enjoy from both of these films, I think they'll only improve with a re-watch, now that I know what to expect (I honestly expected the romance to be 90% of the plot of City Lights - along with perhaps some actual city lights, silly thing I know, but they're my Achilles heel - and M I thought would actually focus on the serial killer far more than it actually did). But still, there were some surprises with this year and still quite a lot that I had to put aside for a later viewing because the year was just too stacked. Maybe not the best year in film like I was hoping, but there's still a lot to love about it.
Here are my line-ups:
Best Picture: 01. À Nous la Liberté. 02. City Lights. 03. M. 04. Mädchen in Uniform. 05. Little Caesar. 06. The Public Enemy. 07. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. 08. La Chienne. 09. The Threepenny Opera. 10. Dracula. ----------------- 11. Monkey Business. 12. Tabu: A Story of the South Seas. 13. Mata Hari. 14. Rich and Strange. 15. The Skin Game.
Best Director: 01. Fritz Lang - M. 02. René Clair - À Nous la Liberté. 03. Charles Chaplin - City Lights. 04. Tod Browning - Dracula. 05. Leontine Sagan - Mädchen in Uniform.
Best Actor: 01. Edward G. Robinson - Little Caesar. 02. Henri Marchand - À Nous la Liberté. 03. Fredric March - Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. 04. Raymond Cordy - À Nous la Liberté. 05. James Cagney - The Public Enemy.
Best Actress: 01. Greta Garbo - Mata Hari. 02. Hertha Thiele - Mädchen in Uniform. 03. Joan Barry - Rich and Strange. 04. Anne Chevalier - Tabu: A Story of the South Seas.
Best Supporting Actor: 01. Peter Lorre - M. 02. Dwight Frye - Dracula. 03. Edmund Gwenn - The Skin Game. 04. William Collier Jr. - Little Caesar. 05. Edward Van Sloan - Dracula.
Best Supporting Actress: 01. Phyllis Konstam - The Skin Game. 02. Dorothea Wieck - Mädchen in Uniform. 03. Ellen Schwanneke - Mädchen in Uniform. 04. Miriam Hopkins - Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. 05. Carola Neher - The Threepenny Opera.
Best Original Screenplay: 01. City Lights. 02. À Nous la Liberté. 03. M. 04. Monkey Business. 05. Mata Hari.
Best Adapted Screenplay: 01. Little Caesar. 02. La Chienne. 03. Mädchen in Uniform. 04. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. 05. The Threepenny Opera.
Best Ensemble: 01. Mädchen in Uniform. 02. Little Caesar. 03. The Skin Game. 04. Monkey Business. 05. The Threepenny Opera.
Best Editing: M.
Best Cinematography: Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
Best Art Direction: À Nous la Liberté.
Best Costume Design: The Threepenny Opera.
Best Makeup: Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
Best Visual Effects: Dracula.
Best Sound Design: À Nous la Liberté.
Best Original Score: TIE: Georges Auric - À Nous la Liberté // Charles Chaplin - City Lights.
Best Original Song: "À nous la liberté" - À Nous la Liberté.
Biggest surprise was definitely À Nous la Liberté, and with two films in a row getting 9/10's from me, René Clair has definitely proven himself as a director to watch for me. And yeah, I'm a bit confused as to all the placements I've seen of Lorre as lead in M. He's only in it for about twenty minutes, and there are characters who take a larger chunk of time out of the film (like the inspector or the safecracker) that we also get to know a lot more insight into (though really, we don't get much insight into anyone except for when Lorre offers his monologue), so weird that Lorre gets placed lead in my opinion. Still, what a hell of a star-making performance. I remember thinking it was going to be pretty tough for anyone to top Dwight Frye, but Lorre certainly did it.
Any strong recommendations for 1932? Still got a pretty extensive list, and skipped ahead while I waited to watch City Lights with my girlfriend, but wondering if there are any special mentions not to miss.
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Post by stephen on Jul 3, 2017 19:42:58 GMT
Lorre's an interesting case. I liken him to Anthony Hopkins's performance in The Silence of the Lambs, where he dominates the proceedings with such minimum screentime that I would have no issue with anyone calling him a leading role (although unlike Lorre, Hopkins can't be lead without also making Levine one as well). He's my leading win, and probably takes that prize with the least amount of overall screentime. But I go by plot importance, and he drives so much of the story even if he isn't technically on-screen for a fair chunk of it.
So glad to see a Greta win. The first of several, I hope.
No love for Jean Harlow in The Public Enemy? One of my favorite gun molls in cinema right there.
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Post by stephen on Jul 3, 2017 19:49:57 GMT
And as per usual, my recommendations for 1932:
Blonde Venus Emma A Farewell to Arms Freaks (my BP win) Grand Hotel I Am A Fugitive from a Chain Gang I Was Born, But… The Most Dangerous Game The Mummy Pack Up Your Troubles Red-Headed Woman Scarface Shanghai Express The Sign of the Cross Vampyr
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Post by idioticbunny on Jul 3, 2017 19:53:20 GMT
Lorre's an interesting case. I liken him to Anthony Hopkins's performance in The Silence of the Lambs, where he dominates the proceedings with such minimum screentime that I would have no issue with anyone calling him a leading role (although unlike Lorre, Hopkins can't be lead without also making Levine one as well). He's my leading win, and probably takes that prize with the least amount of overall screentime. But I go by plot importance, and he drives so much of the story even if he isn't technically on-screen for a fair chunk of it. So glad to see a Greta win. The first of several, I hope. No love for Jean Harlow in The Public Enemy? One of my favorite gun molls in cinema right there. I suppose that actually makes sense to see him in lead, which is odd because Hopkins is the only one I can still make a case for being lead seeing as how he is so essential to the plot and we consistently see him throughout the film - even if the film is through Clarice's eyes. Weird, and that's probably my only placement that is severely questionable in my mind, but I just feel wrong putting him as a supporting character. With Lorre, however, he only really started to appear toward the last third of the film, and even then we still saw more of the Safecracker guy than him, so it was hard for me to put him lead. Though my favorite scene of the film, which also happens to be the only time we really see Lorre's perspective separate from others, is when he's at the diner trying to remove the "whistle" from his head. Masterclass acting right there -he'd be my win regardless of placement that's for sure She actually comes super close in 1926 with Flesh and the Devil (and I think she makes my top ten of last decade for it as well, if I'm not mistaken), but Gish's Scarlet Letter is just too good. They're very close though. It probably doesn't help that Garbo didn't have much competition this year, but she'd probably still be my win regardless. Very strong performance. Good to see her hit her stride after being a bit shaky in the '20s for me. I have a sense she'll be one of my favorites this decade. I actually prefer Beryl Mercer from that same film, but then again the entire ensemble was a bit shaky for me outside of Cagney who was steadfastly powerful in the role. Harlow was decent, but she felt like more of a set-piece than a real character and aside from her one big scene with Cagney, she felt pretty stale to me (even during that scene, felt more stale than a lot of those who play characters similar to hers). I actually preferred her quite a lot in Hell's Angels one year earlier where she really gave it her all.
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Post by stephen on Jul 3, 2017 19:55:44 GMT
Lorre's an interesting case. I liken him to Anthony Hopkins's performance in The Silence of the Lambs, where he dominates the proceedings with such minimum screentime that I would have no issue with anyone calling him a leading role (although unlike Lorre, Hopkins can't be lead without also making Levine one as well). He's my leading win, and probably takes that prize with the least amount of overall screentime. But I go by plot importance, and he drives so much of the story even if he isn't technically on-screen for a fair chunk of it. So glad to see a Greta win. The first of several, I hope. No love for Jean Harlow in The Public Enemy? One of my favorite gun molls in cinema right there. I suppose that actually makes sense to see him in lead, which is odd because Hopkins is the only one I can still make a case for being lead seeing as how he is so essential to the plot and we consistently see him throughout the film - even if the film is through Clarice's eyes. Weird, and that's probably my only placement that is severely questionable in my mind, but I just feel wrong putting him as a supporting character. With Lorre, however, he only really started to appear toward the last third of the film, and even then we still saw more of the Safecracker guy than him, so it was hard for me to put him lead. Though my favorite scene of the film, which also happens to be the only time we really see Lorre's perspective separate from others, is when he's at the diner trying to remove the "whistle" from his head. Masterclass acting right there -he'd be my win regardless of placement that's for sure She actually comes super close in 1926 with Flesh and the Devil (and I think she makes my top ten of last decade for it as well, if I'm not mistaken), but Gish's Scarlet Letter is just too good. They're very close though. It probably doesn't help that Garbo didn't have much competition this year, but she'd probably still be my win regardless. Very strong performance. Good to see her hit her stride after being a bit shaky in the '20s for me. I have a sense she'll be one of my favorites this decade. I actually prefer Beryl Mercer from that same film, but then again the entire ensemble was a bit shaky for me outside of Cagney who was steadfastly powerful in the role. Harlow was decent, but she felt like more of a set-piece than a real character and aside from her one big scene with Cagney, she felt pretty stale to me (even during that scene, felt more stale than a lot of those who play characters similar to hers). I actually preferred her quite a lot in Hell's Angels one year earlier where she really gave it her all. Yeah, regardless of where Lorre winds up, he'd be my win. But this way, I can recognize him and Dwight Frye. I do wish you had checked out Night Nurse -- Barbara Stanwyck crushes it there. She's my Lead Actress win.
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Post by idioticbunny on Jul 3, 2017 20:11:17 GMT
And as per usual, my recommendations for 1932: Blonde Venus Emma A Farewell to Arms Freaks (my BP win) Grand Hotel I Am A Fugitive from a Chain Gang I Was Born, But… The Most Dangerous Game The Mummy Pack Up Your Troubles Red-Headed Woman Scarface Shanghai Express The Sign of the Cross VampyrMuch appreciated, per usual as well! I think the only ones not on my watch-list were Pack Up Your Troubles and Red-Headed Woman, but will add them now. I'm actually going to watch out Freaks with my girlfriend (she loves Chaplin/Keaton/etc. but also really, really loves dark and creepy stuff - assuming that's what Freaks is). Wouldn't have guessed Freaks to be your favorite of the bunch, too, so really looking forward to it. I usually hold off on horror until October as well, so I'll be checking out The Mummy and Vampyr then (as well as last year's Frankenstein and a couple other James Whale films from 1932). I already checked out Shanghai Express, should I go 2 for 2 with Sternberg work (with Blonde Venus) or put a few others ahead of it? Really curious about it, and I love me some Cary Grant. And thoughts on The Most Dangerous Game? Really curious about that one as well (especially its inclusion in Criterion's library, doesn't seem like one that'd be in their repertoire). I'll probably be watching Chain Gang and Grand Hotel today though.
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Post by idioticbunny on Jul 3, 2017 20:13:05 GMT
I suppose that actually makes sense to see him in lead, which is odd because Hopkins is the only one I can still make a case for being lead seeing as how he is so essential to the plot and we consistently see him throughout the film - even if the film is through Clarice's eyes. Weird, and that's probably my only placement that is severely questionable in my mind, but I just feel wrong putting him as a supporting character. With Lorre, however, he only really started to appear toward the last third of the film, and even then we still saw more of the Safecracker guy than him, so it was hard for me to put him lead. Though my favorite scene of the film, which also happens to be the only time we really see Lorre's perspective separate from others, is when he's at the diner trying to remove the "whistle" from his head. Masterclass acting right there -he'd be my win regardless of placement that's for sure She actually comes super close in 1926 with Flesh and the Devil (and I think she makes my top ten of last decade for it as well, if I'm not mistaken), but Gish's Scarlet Letter is just too good. They're very close though. It probably doesn't help that Garbo didn't have much competition this year, but she'd probably still be my win regardless. Very strong performance. Good to see her hit her stride after being a bit shaky in the '20s for me. I have a sense she'll be one of my favorites this decade. I actually prefer Beryl Mercer from that same film, but then again the entire ensemble was a bit shaky for me outside of Cagney who was steadfastly powerful in the role. Harlow was decent, but she felt like more of a set-piece than a real character and aside from her one big scene with Cagney, she felt pretty stale to me (even during that scene, felt more stale than a lot of those who play characters similar to hers). I actually preferred her quite a lot in Hell's Angels one year earlier where she really gave it her all. Yeah, regardless of where Lorre winds up, he'd be my win. But this way, I can recognize him and Dwight Frye. I do wish you had checked out Night Nurse -- Barbara Stanwyck crushes it there. She's my Lead Actress win. That's smart. I wish I could reward Frye as well. Deliciously campy performance. Sure don't make 'em like that anymore. I actually thought the plot of that film sounded really, really intriguing, but I kind of pushed it to the side. I'll definitely make that a priority when I head back around. For some reason didn't even realize it starred Stanwyck.
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tobias
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Post by tobias on Jul 3, 2017 21:43:52 GMT
idioticbunnyOh, great to see you liked Mädchen in Uniform so much. I had to recommend it because I liked it so much but I wasn't sure how accesible it is (but I still thought you would like it as you seem to like character driven films a lot). I guess Taboos low ranking stems from it being somewhat of a documentary/feature hybrid then as it has no strong sense of characters? What were your thoughts on La Chienne and Threepenny Opera (you don't excactly get the chance to discuss them too often)? Interesting to see the Claire as your #1 pick. I have not seen it but from my impression of Claire (which comes down to the 2 shorts I've seen), he is incredibly creative from a visual standpoint which I do enjoy a lot. Also cool to see you dug the Garbo performance despite not being mad about the film. As for 1932 when your lineups are full, I'd like to keep recommendations short but I can't help it. So here is what I wouldn't miss myself: Freaks Scarface Vampyr Grand Hotel Trouble in Paradise Shanghai-Express I was Born But... Boudou saved from Drowning Love Me Tonight (there is the chance you'd really dig this) I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang At least this is from what I've seen and strangely there seems to be a somewhat ridiculous ammount of good films which are all either absolute A grade classical Hollywood or essential classics (or both). Some of the ones Steven recommended I would also personally like to see (Blonde Venus and The Mummy). But you probably have most of them lined up already so I'll cut it short and say: just watch The Blood of a Poet. I don't really know whter you will like it or not. It is surrealism with a captial "S", really but it's still such an incredibly imaginative film, that it's kind of hard not to like. It might even be a little reminiscent of Claire (it is definitely reminiscent of his early shorts) and is probably my favorite film of the year (although it is almost a little heart-breaking to turn against Dreyer; Vampyr could also very well be my favorite but with a gun at my head I'd say Blood of a Poet). In general the field of favorites is very close though, there is not necesarilly a single all time favorite but a entire heap of movies I like a lot (with Vampyr & Blood of a Poet having all time potential)
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Post by idioticbunny on Jul 3, 2017 23:12:08 GMT
tobias I actually was surprised by how much I liked it! It felt like the stepping stone toward Dead Poets Society, which is one of my favorite films (top 100 or so at least), so it was nice to gain a female perspective on that kind of story. The performances were pretty fantastic as well, especially Dorothea Wieck - absolutely magnetic presence. But really all of the girls in the film did a great job, even ones that showed up for a minute or two. And that says a lot about Sagan's direction. Nothing I'd call "best of" anything, but it's such a nice, sweet little film that deserves a lot more attention. I'll make some bullet points on the others you mentioned: - Tabu: A decent film, fantastic direction per usual, but those early types of documentaries aren't exactly my cup of tea. Since I know this was a collaboration between Murnau and Flaherty, I felt more Flaherty in its pacing and presentation, but thankfully Murnau came through with his storytelling capabilities. As you say, maybe it's the lack of strong characters, though I think the use of non-actors didn't help a lot in this situation either. The girl was fine, but the main guy not so much. - La Chienne: This one's tricky (and Renoir in general, it seems, after having watched Boudu from 1932 so far as well). With both films, his stories seem to have potential for something great, and then they just take a dive in really... odd... directions. Truly hard to explain. Simon is great in both films, and in La Chienne, the climax works really well, as does the ending, but it never felt like there was any strong substance holding it together. I prefer this one to Boudu quite a lot, but something is certainly missing. Perhaps his later work will help me discover what exactly that is. - Threepenny Opera: I'll first say, I had no idea this was where the song, "Mack the Knife," came from. Always one of my favorite Bobby Darin classics. So funny to hear its origins nearly twenty-plus years before. As for the film, Pabst has such a way with dark stories. He's a master storyteller when it comes to giving these dark stories time to truly grow, but his pacing is sometimes far too leisurely. I felt the story could have been told in about half the time it took, or at least dedicated more time for that ending since it felt so rushed. Still, a strong piece of directorial work, with some strong performances and a beautiful sequence (Carola Neher's version of "Barbara's Song"). Rene Clair is absolutely inventive visually, which is what makes his films so remarkable and memorable. I prefer Under the Roofs of Paris as a film, but A Nous la Liberte is brilliant from a directorial standpoint and has a much fuller story (whereas the story of Paris sometimes is quite flawed even if remarkably more beautiful in its flaws). Would certainly say to start with Paris if you check out his work, but then again I've only seen two of his films. Garbo has started to prove herself a bit. As I mentioned to Stephen, she was a bit shaky when she was starting out, but she seems so assured now (some might say cocky, but that comes with being a star I suppose - but it works on the screen). Having just finished Grand Hotel (which I'll discuss more in my next thread), she's certainly proven herself twice in a row. Very excited for the rest of her output. Lengthy lists of recommendations are always appreciated! It's always nice to know people have seen far more than just one or two films from these eras. I'll definitely be saving Vampyr for October when I spend the whole month watching horror films in preparation for Halloween, but it's one I'm very much looking forward to. I'm very excited for Love Me Tonight as well, it does sound like something I'll enjoy. Will actually be watching all of these at some point. That's so good to hear about Blood of a Poet! That was actually on my list, and it was the first one I tried to watch, but after about ten minutes with no subtitles to help translate the French, I figured I'd wait until a copy with subtitles surfaces. I'm sure they're "unnecessary" as it seems more of a visual study, but it helps me.
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tobias
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Post by tobias on Jul 4, 2017 0:42:53 GMT
idioticbunny @la Chienne - To me it feels like Bodou was where he found himself but Bodou is a comedy and I can see how it's not everyone's humor. La Chienne I think is charming because it's so rough around the edges. It's completely earnest about the story it's trying to tell, it's not conventional but also not too experimental and yet it tells a very grounded low-key story. Kind of like a shadow version of Hollywood at the time. If these weren't really for you yet, I think you might like La Grande Illusion. Renoir's narratives usually take these twists and turns and are a tad bit aimless (not aimless overall, they have a clear plot and feel even a little like Hollywood but they will ocassionaly delve into stuff that has not much to do with anything that came before and go in unusual directions). Personally I'm a big fan of this. His films feel moody and free-spirited. La Grande Illusion is more distilled than the others I've seen. Story and characters are distinct, there is a more tangible conflict and there is more of a dramatic narrative (this is what Renoir films usually don't seem to have). It's not my personal favorite but if you felt the other 2 were a little off, that would be the one I'd recommend. It's his most widely liked film. My personal top 3 are Rules of the Game, A Day in the Country and The River. You can also still watch Fritz Lang's remakes. Somehow Lang had it with remaking Renoir films. He remade La Chienne into Scarlet Street (hard to say which one is better) and La Bete Humaine into Human Desire (haven't seen Human Desire personally so I can't comment, Volker Schlöndorf, the german director, prefers La Bete Humaine). @threepenny Opera. Yeah, it's a very early adaptation of Brecht's play (which came out only 2 or 3 years earlier) and somehow the music (which is also from the play already) became really famous in english. Pabst is certainly not a flawless director (pacing) but I admire his talent for social realist dramas. I think the reason I like Threepenny Opera so much though (the best so far among the 3 Pabst's I've seen) is because it's not real social realism but a gangster musical with social realist themes. Brecht also was a clever writer. I don't know how well it all translates into english but the songs have some fantastic lines that connect the somewhat less serious crime plot to the serious themes at its heart. Art design and cinematography are also very good in my opinion.
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Post by idioticbunny on Jul 4, 2017 2:11:25 GMT
tobiasI'm definitely going to check out La Grande Illusion and Rules of the Game (but I think I have those other two on my list as well, just unsure of whether I'll check them out or not), but I would agree that's probably where my dislike stems. I can definitely see how his free-wheelin' style could be someone's cup of tea, but for me it needs to develop the rules of the world or it doesn't work with me. The first third of Boudu was outstanding, if it was supposed to be a drama, but then it takes a turn for weird (which I could get if Boudu had some sort of trauma he was hiding possibly?), and then it just goes off the rails completely by the end and doesn't make any sort of sense. To me, it either needs to decide "I'm going to be an avant-garde film ala Bunuel" or it needs to say "I'm going to be a dramatic comedy ala Chaplin" but deciding to make one half Chaplin and the next half Bunuel doesn't add up for me. La Chienne at least had a solid narrative, even if there were strange twists and turns in the subplots (like all the stuff with his wife and the art dealer just felt like different movies), but the main plot stayed consistent so I enjoyed it for that. So I'm not sure he'll wind up being my cup of tea, but I'll still check out his other work. I can tell you, the translation worked well for me because I certainly felt like I was living in that era and dealing with those social realist themes as well. This is why I feel Pabst is such a strong director, but yeah, it's just the pacing that really bogs it down. For a musical, it felt way too long and didn't have nearly any of the spark those usually do. Maybe that was the point, not to make it flashy - which is fine - but it still could've cut down time on some scenes. Agreed on the art and cinematography as well, both make my top 3 for the year (and obviously you can see costumes are my win as well).
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Post by taranofprydain on Jul 4, 2017 4:01:59 GMT
1932 Classic Hollywood Recs:
The Animal Kingdom Emma Freaks Frisco Jenny Grand Hotel Horse Feathers Hot Saturday I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang Jewel Robbery Love Me Tonight Million Dollar Legs No Man of Her Own One Hour with You The Purchase Price Rain Rasputin and the Empress Red Dust Smilin' Through Strange Interlude Symphony of Six Million Trouble in Paradise What Price Hollywood
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Post by idioticbunny on Jul 4, 2017 16:00:53 GMT
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