Category Archives: Classic Film
A Look At Week 4 of TCM’s 31 Days of Oscar
What a wonderful week we just had! I think I’ll’ve watched 25 new-to-me films from this last week, plus a few rewatches (The Third Man!) I hope you guys found some great new films to watch as well. This coming week looks like the best week they’ve had so far. It’s chock full of Best Picture winners; some nights they’re showing as many as three in a row.
Film Noir and the Academy Awards
As part of the For The Love of Film (Noir) blogathon, I thought I would take a look at some Film Noir that got a little love from the Academy. Although the bulk of films considered “Film Noir” were low-budget films and were often considered at the time “B-pictures,” there were a handful of films, mostly made by already established directors and stars, that were acknowledged by the Academy. After the cut I’ll do a breakdown of nine categories wherein Film Noir shined.
EDIT – I somehow missed Crossfire (1947) when I put this together, but have since written about it for Oscar Vault Monday here.
TCM’s 31 Days of Oscar – Week 3
Week two was wonderful, wasn’t it? Although last week’s schedule included a lot of films I’d already seen, I think by the end of tonight I’ll’ve managed to see 28 new-to-me films. I also had a wonderful experience watching Gone With The Wind on Saturday night (it’s my second favorite film of all time!) I hope you guys found some great films to watch as well. This coming week is filled with even more great films.
A Look At Week Two of TCM’s 31 Days of Oscar
So how did your viewings fair during the first week of TCM’s 31 Days of Oscar? Before I go to bed tonight I hope to have seen about 30 or films (blame the DVR). This coming week has some really great stuff scheduled. Especially on Saturday; they will be showing every sing film nominated for Best Picture for 1939, widely considered the greatest year in cinema. I’m excited for that day, though I will admit I’ve only not seen two of those films. But hey, after Saturday, I’ll’ve seen them all!
RIP Arthur Penn, Game Changer
Arthur Penn, director of the 1967 Bonnie & Clyde died today of congestive heart failure, a day after his 88th birthday. Penn was nominated for Best Director at the Academy Awards three times in the sixties: The Miracle Worker (1962), Bonnie & Clyde (1967) and Alice’s Restaurant (1969).
Of those three films, I have only seen Bonnie & Clyde, but I will always consider that film a game changer. I wrote about how 1967 was the year cinema changed forever a few months ago and it was Penn’s film about Depression-era bankrobbers Bonnie and Clyde – played by Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty. I saw an interview with Arthur Penn on TCM a few weeks ago where he discussed what he was trying to do with the film and why he chose to film it in color. He was an eloquent man and a director with a clear vision and point of view. He will be sadly missed.
Film, A Love Letter
Last night I watched William A Wellman’s 1927 masterpiece Wings, which was the very first film to win the Academy Award for Best picture. Within the first 15 minutes I thought it was more dramatic, romantic and exciting than most films made today. How wonderful, I thought, a film that was made 83 years ago can still feel so fresh and amazing, positively timeless. (On a side note, this film is not available on DVD and it’s a crying shame. You can vote here on TCM to try to get it released on DVD, and even if you haven’t seen it I urge you to do so).
This got me thinking about how much I love film, and why I love film. The other day someone on Twitter asked me how many films I watched a day and I replied, “as many as possible!” I told someone else that I think I have celluloid in my blood instead of iron. I can’t remember my life before I discovered films; I’ve been watching them always. Recently, I’ve been fortunate enough to be able to watch more than ever; I’ve already seen 271 new-to-me films this year! This is because I’ve graduated from college, but have yet to find a full time job (I substitute teach once or twice a week), I’m single and I’m childless. That leaves a lot of time to watch films. I also live in a household that has TCM, my absolute favorite channel on television.
I haven’t yet answered why it is I love film so much. I think part of it has to do with the escapism film allows. For two hours you’re in a perfect world, or a dystopic world or whatever, and it can be the best place you never knew existed. With each new film you meet new friends, characters that are as dear to you as anyone you’ve ever met in real life or ones you hate more than you ever knew you could.
But I’m also in awe of the people who make the films, not just the actors and directors and screenwriters, but the crew. Every single film you see was put together by hundreds of people, who spent hundreds of hours working to bring this new world alive. It’s just so incredible.
Also, with every film I watch I always think, “This is someone’s favorite movie ever” or “I bet someone absolutely loathes this film!” It’s phenomenal the emotional response a film can get out of people. And then there are people who can’t see the art in any film, who don’t see the point of film at all. Those people make me sad. How could something that brings me and so many others so much joy, mean absolutely nothing to others? It’s unfathomable.
So while I’m at this unique place in my life where I’ve got more free time than I probably will ever again, I’m going to fill it with films. All films. As many films as I can get my hands on, as often as I can stand it. I don’t know that’ll I’ll ever have another opportunity like this, to spend all my time with the love of my life, with film. I just hope film loves me as much as I love it. Regardless, this is how I choose to spend my time, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
My Summer Under The Stars – 46 Movies in 31 Days on TCM
I actually watched 68 new-to-me movies in August altogether, which I believe is a record for me. 46 of them, however were on Turner Classic Movies’s Summer Under The Stars. There were several days where I watched between four and six films all in a row on TCM. There were even some days where in the midst of watching new-to-me films I watched some old favorites as well. I discovered at least one old film star I’d never known about and now love. I finally watched some essential classic films that had somehow escaped me up until now. I watched a few films that were pretty forgettable and I discovered some films that I will love forever. Overall, it was a wonderful journey of film immersion for someone who loves film down to her bones, and now I don’t know what do to with my life until next August.
1967: The Year Cinema Changed Forever
I know there is at least one book on this subject and I haven’t had a chance to read it yet, but thanks to TCM showing several movies from that year, I have to agree completely. What I mean by Cinema, is Hollywood and American Cinema, because a lot of how it changed was based on things French New Wave directors had already been doing for almost ten years.
One way to see this change is by looking at the five films that were nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars that year. Four of the films are harbingers of the new Hollywood. One is old guard and because of that in addition I want to talk about another film that, although nominated for four Oscars, was not up for Best Picture.
The five films up for Best Picture were Bonnie & Clyde, Doctor Dolittle, The Graduate, Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner and In The Heat of the Night. The film sixth film I’m going to discuss is In Cold Blood.
An Ode to TCM
Sorry I’ve been m.i.a. since the Oscars. I’ve been having some problems at work. Long story short work’s no longer a problem, so I’m back. I’ve got a few posts related to film in 2010 that I want to post, but I’ve got to flesh them out a little before I post them.
However, today I spent quite a bit of time watching Turner Classic Movies. They had an amazing line-up today. I’d recommend all four of the films I watched today, but each one for very different reasons.
The first film I watched was Some Like It Hot. I’ve seen this film numerous times. It is definitely one of the absolute funniest films of all time. Billy Wilder truly is a genius.
the diary of a film history fanatic 