tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4797087968104121636.post9002089733393002101..comments2023-05-21T03:16:13.000-07:00Comments on Down These Mean Streets: Raw Deal (1948)Margot Shelbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06580855468061590981noreply@blogger.comBlogger50125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4797087968104121636.post-77707885548194164662020-03-22T13:26:51.177-07:002020-03-22T13:26:51.177-07:00Hi Ruth, I'm surprised you haven't seen it...Hi Ruth, I'm surprised you haven't seen it. Watch it as a double bill with T-Men.<br />On a different note, I hope you're doing fine.Margot Shelbyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06580855468061590981noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4797087968104121636.post-50581338866165389202020-03-21T12:22:41.887-07:002020-03-21T12:22:41.887-07:00I liked what you said about noir – even if you sur...I liked what you said about noir – even if you survive, you never really win. Ain't it the truth.<br /><br />This looks like a beautiful film, judging by the images you posted. It always blows my mind to see what is capable on minimal budgets.<br /><br />Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this film. I cannot wait to see it.Silver Screeningshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04955048716754142299noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4797087968104121636.post-15551639393297588272020-03-20T15:59:21.686-07:002020-03-20T15:59:21.686-07:00Randy pre-Western is a bit of a different matter. ...Randy pre-Western is a bit of a different matter. It seems there are two different Scotts out there. Pre-Western and Western.<br /><br />I know Blood Money, one of the best pre-Codes.<br /><br />As for remastering of old films, I have no first-hand knowledge of this but I imagine the films that come out now on blu-ray may look better than on the day the hit the theaters back then.Margot Shelbyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06580855468061590981noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4797087968104121636.post-83812773891476805972020-03-20T09:29:12.793-07:002020-03-20T09:29:12.793-07:00Thanks, Walter. I don't know what your situati...Thanks, Walter. I don't know what your situation is but I hope all will be will. Good luck to you and everybody. Keep Calm and Watch Classic Movies.Margot Shelbyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06580855468061590981noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4797087968104121636.post-25174614536434661432020-03-20T06:53:27.263-07:002020-03-20T06:53:27.263-07:00Colin's link made me re read his Hanging Tree ...Colin's link made me re read his Hanging Tree review. I also re-read some of my comments-these things come back to haunt us..."did I really say that"<br />The fact is back then I only had a crappy Euro version of the film and seeing a film as it should look in sparkling high definition makes all the difference.<br />The Hanging Tree is certainly a film that I have re appraised over the years I'm certainly a lot more fond of it than I was,say six years ago. I'm of an age when I was able to see virtually every major 1950's Western on the big screen at large single screen theaters as a kid I loved everything way back then. It's strange how our opinions of films changes with the passage of time and certainly seeing beloved films remastered in high definition often makes our rediscovery of them all the more rewarding. I wonder how long these film blogs will remain in cyberspace to come back to haunt those of us who often make misguided comments on them.john khttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07080168531365446977noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4797087968104121636.post-7307148637385394672020-03-20T05:45:21.452-07:002020-03-20T05:45:21.452-07:00The last round up........possibly!
Dear Walter,
I...The last round up........possibly!<br /><br />Dear Walter,<br />I am so aware of the testing times that you are going through at the moment,my thoughts and prayers are with you. I miss our regular "banter" so much,furthermore I feel that you are the only person in Blogland who actually "got me" and my often twisted off kilter views on films in general. It's a great comfort to me that you are still able to keep reading this superb blog,just to know you are with us in spirit,if not commentating 'right now.<br /><br />Regarding the other stuff I always felt Gregory Peck often looked ill at ease with some of his female leads-this works beautifully in The Gunfighter one of the finest Westerns ever made and after all these years seems to improve with each viewing.<br />I think the Scott Puritanical thing was in the Boetticher films, a neat contrast to the lowlifes that he encountered along the trail.Furthermore I thought the love scenes between Scott and Maureen 'O Sullivan in The Tall T were pretty convincing..Randy actually gets the girl at the end of that picture. Check out Edward Ludwig's Coast Guard where Randy plays a flaky,irresponsible womanizer a regular "babe magnet" if you will. Frances Dee fancies Randy over trustworthy reliable Ralph Bellamy,<br />she agonizes every time Scott flies out on a dangerous mission but couldn't care less when Bellamy flies out on one....that's women for you.:) I always thought of Dee as a wholesome type until I saw Coast Guard, I thought her character in that film was incredibly contemporary. Further shocks were in store when I encountered Frances in the notorious pre code Blood Money. Very non p.c. homophobic slurs and all,Frances plays a bored socialite on the constant lookout for rough sex. In this,hopefully more enlightened age Blood Money is not an easy watch,lets just put it down to an artifact of it's era.<br />I thought Burt Lancaster made a wonderful (if one note) Puritan in Micheal Winner's Lawman a Western of considerable merit,I feel, but Winner had to spoil the whole thing by having Burt bed Sheree North,which proves even Puritan's have their limits.<br /><br />Margo, in tracking down The Hanging Tree please try to source the recent Warner Archive restored Blu Ray..it's sensational. Even if the film is not your cup of tea (which I'm sure it will be) you will be entranced by the stunning visual look of the film.<br />Couldn't agree more regarding Schell she's actually very good in The Hanging Tree but for me unbearable in Cimarron and gets worse as the film moves along.<br />Again the recent Warner Archive Blu Ray is a very good restoration-a whole heap on money was spent on this film and it shows-for sheer spectacle alone it's worth a look. The point I found really jarring was especially in the earlier stages of the film the constant transposition from studio scenes to location footage-at lot of those scenes look as if they were re shoots. Some sources say Charles Walters was only brought in at the final stages of the picture,others say Walters shot over half the movie. As a Mann completist (as far as his Westerns and Noirs go) for me the film was an essential purchase.john khttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07080168531365446977noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4797087968104121636.post-32286239024449817232020-03-20T02:18:06.998-07:002020-03-20T02:18:06.998-07:00Margot, top-notch write-up once again and a joy to...Margot, top-notch write-up once again and a joy to read. I so enjoy the comments, whether I agree, or not and that's what is so good about them. John K, I really enjoyed your very un-facile commentary.<br /><br />I wish I had more time to comment, but the situation here, where I'm at, is getting more hairy everyday. This isn't the forum to comment on, so I won't. Margot I'll always read your marvelous write-ups, though I might not have the time, or mindset to comment. Take care and good health to you and all the readers and commenters of this wonderful site.Walter S.https://www.blogger.com/profile/02507750468123235383noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4797087968104121636.post-43479066627465938632020-03-19T15:31:51.311-07:002020-03-19T15:31:51.311-07:00What a great review, Colin. And of course always l...What a great review, Colin. And of course always link away.<br />OK then, I'll track The Hanging Tree down.Margot Shelbyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06580855468061590981noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4797087968104121636.post-78012009106026378752020-03-19T15:31:06.859-07:002020-03-19T15:31:06.859-07:00Barry, yes absolutely right. Should have thought o...Barry, yes absolutely right. Should have thought of those. Still, Randy's lovemaking seems to be a bit less, erm, hands-on than other actors's.Margot Shelbyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06580855468061590981noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4797087968104121636.post-77841436031132868482020-03-19T14:54:39.300-07:002020-03-19T14:54:39.300-07:00Margot, you have to make a point of seeing The Han...Margot, you have to make a point of seeing The Hanging Tree - it really is a superb movie on many levels. If you'll forgive my linking to my own site, here's a piece I wrote on the film back in 2014 - https://livius1.wordpress.com/2014/02/19/the-hanging-tree/ Colin McGuiganhttp://livius1.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4797087968104121636.post-33491851521615845542020-03-19T14:21:35.815-07:002020-03-19T14:21:35.815-07:00Try The Spoilers for chemistry, Western Union, Abi...Try The Spoilers for chemistry, Western Union, Abilene Town, My Favorite Wife. Seven Men From Now. Not so tough.barrylanehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09507827607600595861noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4797087968104121636.post-57658355178130218912020-03-19T14:07:18.762-07:002020-03-19T14:07:18.762-07:00I think Man of the West is a very good movie, thou...I think Man of the West is a very good movie, though I'd have to rewatch it again before I say anything definite about it. But no doubt there is a streak of sadism in that movie.<br /><br />I have actually never seen The Hanging Tree or Cimarron. I've heard so many mediocre things about Cimarron that I've always put it off. Also, both movies have Maria Schell in them, an actress I can take or leave. Usually it's leave.<br /><br />I think you put on the finger on something that I was only subconsciously aware of. Though of course I like Randolph Scott Westerns (how can we not?) his Puritanical streak bothers me a bit. I'm trying to think of a Western where he has sizzling chemistry with his female costar. I assume it goes back to William Hart. Other Western heroes don't seem to have that problem. Now there's something that I should look into.<br /><br />None Shall Escape is a very interesting movie, as if somebody was looking into a crystal ball.<br />Margot Shelbyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06580855468061590981noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4797087968104121636.post-83627130342282503222020-03-18T09:25:56.842-07:002020-03-18T09:25:56.842-07:00Wholehearted emotional engagement...gosh! I watch ...Wholehearted emotional engagement...gosh! I watch Mann films all the time,but there again I'm a good deal more facile than Colin. I have no problems "gearing myself up" to watch a Mann Western or Noir and in fact I regularly watch Westerns from Mann's 50's peers Boetticher,Daves and Sturges all of their best films are emotionally complex. The Man From Laramie is really a Greek Tragedy in a Western setting as was Sturges' Last Train From Gun Hill and Karlson's sublime Gunman's Walk.All three of these films require wholehearted emotional engagement but it's no stretch as far as I'm concerned plus the fact in the Sturges and Karlson films there is a subtext of racism as well.<br />Budd Boetticher,more so than the other three liked to inject humor into his films despite the often complex issues involved. Lighter moments were supplied by Budd's Horny Lonesome Cowboys,their unrequited lust contrasted with Randolph Scott's generally Puritanical hero.<br />As Colin knows,I have little time for Mann's overrated Man Of The West,the emotional violence of the James Stewart pictures replaced with leering sadism.Mann is not above obvious symbolism either with Julie London's Scarlet Woman dressed in scarlet,a trick Mann also used with the Anne Baxter character in Cimarron.Man Of The West,as I've mentioned before is undone by ridiculous casting.<br />Gary Cooper is however very well cast as Doc Frail in Daves' wonderful The Hanging Tree. The aptly named Frail has his demons too,perhaps even more so than some of the James Stewart characters.Doc Frail despite his shaded past is actually more humane,he is capable of real acts of kindness despite his demons,but we,the audience, know that all hell will break loose at the films explosive climax.<br />The Hanging Tree is certainly not an easy watch and is not for all tastes but the darker tones of the film contrast very well with the often epic scale of the production.<br />Regarding Mann,The Last Frontier is certainly one of his lesser pictures but it does have it's moments; not too much emotional engagement involved here. Even the troubled Cimarron has some powerful scenes especially my previously mentioned section with The Cherokee Kid. There's a very emotional scene where the Native American moppet is barred from the all whites classroom..."they don't want me" she sobs while the Stars & Stripes is visible waving in the background. I don't know if Mann actually directed this scene but it's very powerful all the same.<br />The whole point of this,if indeed there is one, is that I need a regular fix of Mann,Boetticher,Daves and Sturges despite my emotional frame of mind at any given time.<br />Now,would you believe,to get back on topic, well Marsha Hunt, and in fact the header of this piece "None Shall Escape"<br />I recently finally caught up with De Toth's None Shall Escape and here is a film that does require wholehearted emotional engagement as well as being tough to watch at times. As an anti Nazi film made in 1943 the film is generally free of cliche and stereotype. I've watched the film three times so far and have gained different aspects with each viewing. There are scenes compromised by censorship constraints of the time,a sexual assault and suicide, where you have to pay very close attention to what's actually taken place.DeToth's direction is superb as is Lee Garmes photography.<br />In closing I will state that I will give None Shall Escape another viewing soon when I can give the film wholehearted emotional engagement...you see I'm not so facile after all.john khttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07080168531365446977noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4797087968104121636.post-17658392515707263972020-03-14T13:21:11.383-07:002020-03-14T13:21:11.383-07:00Hi Colin, I don't think the wholehearted emoti...Hi Colin, I don't think the wholehearted emotional engagement that we have to invest when watching a Mann movie is pretentious at all. There is simply a lot more going on in his films than in admittedly very entertaining George Montgomery or Dale Robertson B Westerns. There should be room for both. I really have to rewatch The Fall of the Roman Empire which I saw decades ago.<br /><br />The auteur theory can be discussed endlessly. And indeed I do love to discuss it endlessly while boring people to death.<br />If we think of the director as someone who rallies the troops and brings out the best in everyone, I'm all for it. Most good directors have a vision, maybe a theme that runs through their movies. Mann certainly did. Ford did. Wilder did. Joseph Losey did. The list is endless.<br /><br />But often, especially during the studio era, it was not the director who had absolute control over the filming but the producer. Gone With the Wind is the vision of producer David Selznick. Fred Astaire musicals have the unmistakable stamp of Astaire himself on them, not of the men who directed them. Would Billy Wilder's movies have been the same without his frequent collaborator/writer Charles Brackett? Would the Magnificent Seven be as entertaining without Bernstein's score? <br /><br />I just don't like the idea of other contributors not being recognized and being used almost as a pawn by the director. And now I'll shut up. :)Margot Shelbyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06580855468061590981noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4797087968104121636.post-68649910635100349262020-03-14T10:37:22.232-07:002020-03-14T10:37:22.232-07:00Excellent work, another superlative write-up on a ...Excellent work, another superlative write-up on a tight and stylish little noir. It's been too long since I last sat down and watched a Mann movie. This probably sounds pretentious of me but there is something about his stuff that demands wholehearted emotional engagement, and that type of viewing experience can be a little draining after a while. I can see a thread running all through his work; the noir sensibility seguing into the early westerns and their own evolution in turn making them more complex and classical in terms of their inner drama, which I think makes his gradual move to the epic more logical than it might at first appear. Actually, I'll happily defend The Fall of the Roman Empire all day for its (for me anyway) compelling combination of genuine spectacle, passionate dissection of the corrosive effects of ambition and its overall grandness as a piece of cinema. <br /><br />On the auteur business, I used to be ambivalent about it to say the least but over the years I've come round to it and I generally do subscribe to it. It's all a matter of perspective: the notion of a filmmaker's work having a thematic thread running through it doesn't have to ignore or exclude the contributions of others to the whole creative endeavor. The collaborative nature of the process isn't compromised by having the director's sensibilities imprinted on it, in fact it could probably be argued that the opposite is true.Colin McGuiganhttp://livius1.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4797087968104121636.post-6999772065441990842020-03-08T07:23:59.179-07:002020-03-08T07:23:59.179-07:00Thanks Barry, that is very kind of you. I'll c...Thanks Barry, that is very kind of you. I'll check it out.Margot Shelbyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06580855468061590981noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4797087968104121636.post-82298277729029452622020-03-07T09:33:38.489-08:002020-03-07T09:33:38.489-08:00And it keeps me out of the county lockup. Glad to ...And it keeps me out of the county lockup. Glad to provide some entertainment.Margot Shelbyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06580855468061590981noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4797087968104121636.post-92086521414666695252020-03-07T09:16:03.757-08:002020-03-07T09:16:03.757-08:00Of course you can write a book. It is largely writ...Of course you can write a book. It is largely written if an assemblage of the articles are thematically presented. Start with Macfarland and Bear Manor Media and load it up with photographs.barrylanehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09507827607600595861noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4797087968104121636.post-63058555307585984682020-03-07T09:00:01.994-08:002020-03-07T09:00:01.994-08:00Well, watching/reading about it keeps me off the s...Well, watching/reading about it keeps me off the streets. Thanks for blog!rcoceanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17102201338319611538noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4797087968104121636.post-351277406344676412020-03-07T07:01:00.829-08:002020-03-07T07:01:00.829-08:00Oh that is great. Can't wait. Thanks so much. ...Oh that is great. Can't wait. Thanks so much. :)Margot Shelbyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06580855468061590981noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4797087968104121636.post-29286850882728898602020-03-07T07:00:18.739-08:002020-03-07T07:00:18.739-08:00Hi there, thanks for stopping by.
I can tell you t...Hi there, thanks for stopping by.<br />I can tell you that several publishers have been breaking down my doors with frantic demands to publish my book...wait, I had that dream last night. :)<br /><br />Writing a book, or at least an article for a book, would be fun but let's be honest, writing about classic film is nothing that interests too many people. I think classic film bloggers can be happy that the internet nowadays provides us with an outlet to write and find some readers.Margot Shelbyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06580855468061590981noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4797087968104121636.post-84507086031158294692020-03-07T01:50:29.424-08:002020-03-07T01:50:29.424-08:00Hi again all, was able to talk to someone in the k...Hi again all, was able to talk to someone in the know and while I can't share any details as it's "not for publication" yet, I can say that if all goes well, REPEAT PERFORMANCE fans will be very happy just about a year from now. :)<br /><br />Best wishes,<br />LauraLaurahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09626109831176745957noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4797087968104121636.post-12803171174127493612020-03-06T16:58:43.257-08:002020-03-06T16:58:43.257-08:00Another great review. Have you considered writing ...Another great review. Have you considered writing a book on film noir?rcoceanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17102201338319611538noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4797087968104121636.post-4649928064288837602020-03-06T06:19:47.417-08:002020-03-06T06:19:47.417-08:00Hi Laura, I can't wait for Repeat Performance ...Hi Laura, I can't wait for Repeat Performance to come out. It would be great if you could get some info on that. <br />You're lucky to go to all these festivals. I'm so jealous. At some point I'll make it to the California ones, I'm really not that far away. I'd love to do the whole LA Classic film experience.Margot Shelbyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06580855468061590981noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4797087968104121636.post-7064840122002914852020-03-05T21:03:02.795-08:002020-03-05T21:03:02.795-08:00That is generally so.That is generally so.barrylanehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09507827607600595861noreply@blogger.com