Fav OLD (B&W) Movie - let's make it pithy, eh?

[romulanavatra3]

hey all havent posted in a while anyhow baxck to the topic, my favourite balc kand white movies,

we i would have to say casablanca, to kill a mocking bird( the novel was good to), citizen cane was good and for its era( even tough it did not have sound) would be metropoliss by firtz lang for sheer idea and the fact it was an intresting film.

arsenic and old lace was a defiinate classic and as for my favourite black and white hitchcock it would vertigo.
the orignal physco was good but vertigo is still qutie scarry even in present day on a cold wet and dark night(good for sending shivers up your spine if you have nothing better to do at night).

but my overall favourite black and white film would have to be Dr strangelove( the idea is still as revelant now as it was back then), peter selles was great, and the fact that he was palying three diffrent roles two at the same time was intresting.

reagrds all rom.

[LOCIfan]

rom, i can't believe nobody mentioned METROPOLIS earlier. you're so right about that one! it is great, and holds up well today. the sci-fi special effects were/are very impressive for the time, 1927.

Lang's origininal cut of the film was over five hours long, but much footage has been lost. there is a very good restored version, with a soundtrack intended to be faithful to what Lang envisioned being played in theaters to accompany the film. This cut runs a little over two hours and is very good. In the 1980's a cut (around 90 minutes or so) was released with a Queen soundtrack, which is pretty trippy. There are a bunch of other cuts which use rock soundtracks, but most of them cut so much of the story that it becomes incomprehensible.

METROPOLIS is also notorious for being among Hitler's favorite films, which is strange, given the plot in which drone, underground Workers in a futuristic society toil away to support the sybaritic lifestyle of the elite Thinkers who live above ground. The workers, of course, revolt. The movie's political values lean far more toward Communism (a fact that later resulted in it being seriously re-cut and/or banned in many countries) than Fascism, but Hitler viewed it through his demented lens and came up with parallels to the Thousand Year Reich he was in the process of building.

There are lots of theories about what Hitler liked about METROPOLIS. Some say he viewed the Thinkers as Jews, controlling the wealth of the country at the expense of the Workers, Aryan Germans, and the "true" inheritors of Germany's bounty -- the people he would lead in their "revolt" against the Jews. Others believe he saw the film as an allegory for the "split" Germany, with the film's Jewish Dr. "Rotwang" representing Jews who were ruining the country, and viewed himself as Freder, the person who would reunite Germany and mold it into a new nation...

In any event, Hitler believed Lang to be a cinematic genius, and in 1933 Goebbles offered him the position of "Reichs-Filmintendant", where he'd be in charge of all Aryan propoganda films produced by the Reich. Lang refused, (the job went to Leni Riefenstahl whose TRIUMPH OF THE WILL stands as the most effective use of German Expressionism as propoganda) fled to Paris in 1933 and then to Hollywood where he made over 20 films.

METROPOLIS is a stunning example of German Expressionism and the first true sci-fi masterpiece. Its influence is apparent in films such as BLADE RUNNER, 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY, THE MATRIX, and countless others. It's an amazing movie! Highly recommended!!

[Sirenna]

great topic!!!

But it's like comparing opples to aranges. Criteria for horror is not the same as romance which is not the same as...

For my all-time favourite, I need to think about this a little more.

Have to say though, I thought Citizen Kane was probably innovative for it's time but, yes, cold, distant. Which means it's scratched off my list. Movies have to reach me either happily or repulsively - I'm fine with either end of the spectrum. But they must not leave me cold.

[romulanavatra3]

okay hey all on the topic of black and white films my favourite recnet balck andf white film would have t obbbbe schindlers lists. it was definatley a very moving film and was also very well produced( it is one of steven speilbergs best films by far).


LOCIfan intesting about hitler liking metropolis, rather odd really given what it was about.

talk more later regards rom.


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[Sirenna]

I watched the Ten Commandments yesterday on Bravo. It was good. The special effects were perfect and I do not use that word loosely here. They were awesome but NOT distracting. Unlike the special effects I hestitate to imagine would be used today if this film was ever on the minds as remake material, of many of the crappy but big name directors today.

So the Ten Commandments and the absolutely luverly Charlton definately makes my top ten list.

Sparticus, which is on TV at the mo is pretty good too.

[janetcatbird]

Apologies for the Short Notice, but tonight on TCM is a mini-festival of Humphrey Bogart movies. Hosted by Hugh Hefner, so I have mixed feelings aobut that, but usually the host just talks for a few minutes at the beginning and end of each and then they shut up during the film itself. Here's what they got:

8:00 PM "Casablanca"
10:00 PM "To Have and Have Not"*
12:00 midnight"The Maltese Falcon"
2:00 AM "The Big Sleep"*
4:00 AM "Dark Passage"*

* Has Lauren Bacall as well.

Enjoy all!

[Techguy]

This is a reminder to LOCIfan and any other interested members: "The Grand Illusion" will be broadcast on TCM on Saturday April 16 @ 8PM Eastern, with a repeat on Sunday April 17 @ 6PM Eastern.

And for Bogey fans, there is another mini festival on TCM on Saturday April 16:
"The Roaring Twenties" @ 6AM Eastern, "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre" @ 3:30PM Eastern, and "High Sierra" @ 6PM Eastern.

And even though this isn't a B&W movie, I'll still mention it as another Bogey classic on TCM: "The Caine Mutiny" will be on TCM on Sunday April 17 @ 8PM Eastern.

[jaquetta]

I loved "It Happened One Night" but watched it recently and boy, is it mysogynistic and patronizing. What a difference a few decades and a couple of divorces make in ones viewpoint.

"To Have and Have Not" is still one of my faves.

I also really like "The Strange Love of Martha Ivers" with Barbara Stanwyck and Kirk Douglas. She doesn't run off with her True Love when she's young and when he returns to town, it's a hornet's nest of secrets and murder.

Of course, most Barbara Stanwyck flicks are pretty good. Or I just love her in anything.

I love B&W movies. There's one with Bette Davis playing twins in love with the same man, "A Stolen Life".


"Metropolis" was playing at the Castro recently (the last several months recently) but I couldn't get over to see it. Darn. That's one movie I have never seen. DVD time, I guess. But it's just so much better in a theater.

[Cassie]

Hi Jaquetta,

if you like Barbara Stanwyck, you need to check out “Stella Dallas” (1937) Stanwyck, gives a great performance as a self sacrificing mother.

other good movies:

"Sunset Boulevard" (1950) with Gloria Swanson and William Holden. A creepy story about a has been actress, trying to make her comeback. Great Drama!

“Grapes of Wrath” (1940) was on early this morning on AMC - based on John Steinbeck’s Pulizer Prize winning novel. This is a story about how people take advantage of others who are less fortunate, for their own gain. And our struggle for justice in our society. Henry Fonda gave a wonderful speech at the end of this movie, which many call the “I will be there” speech. He did not win the Oscar which he was up for. However, Jane Darwell won Best Supporting actress, for playing his mom. And John Ford won for Best Director.

[jaquetta]

Oh yeah, I've seen Stella Dallas, Cassie! But it's not my favorite because it makes me cry copiously every freaking time. I think I've seen most of Barabara Stanwyck's movies, or as many as I could. The local cable channels used to play the old Black and white's all the time. What happened? Ted Turner? I cannot get used to AMC airing movies I saw in High School.

Another favorite is Robert Mitchum and Kirk Douglas in Out of the Past. Richard Widmark is in quite a few awesome b&w's too.

[janetcatbird]

Just caught a little B-flick on TCM the other day (when I was supposed to be working...) called "Kid Glove Killer" from 1942, I think. Van Heflin is a forensics expert who has to solve the murder of a mayor who was trying to clean up the town. I can't compare it to CSI, but the half-asleep, crabby guy looking through a microscope seemed to be a proto-Quincy. Great art it ain't, but it's fun.

Actually what struck me was that they had a female lab assistant. Of course this coming from the forties there were a few harumph moments: she's constantly referring to the fact that "This is no job for a woman", and references to her master's in chemistry seem to be along the lines of "Oh, that's cute..." while she's fetching cigarettes/matches for her boss. There is that whole thing about she wants to get married some day so she can't plan on doing this as a career, of course she gets all chatty and gives away their developments to her date/the murderer. But she does know her stuff, and even though her boss the forensics guy gives her grief the whole time he does recognize that. She's very much a Watson figure, not making the earth-shattering conclusions but right there helping as needed and recognizing that certain things are important.

Of course they hook up at the end, he proposes through a microscope slide--I don't feel bad giving it away cause I doubt it'll pop up again anytime soon. What was cute was how instead of falling into each others' arms they grin at each other in their usual bantering manner, but this time she steals his cigarette and makes him light it with the Bunsen burner right at the end fadeout. It was an amusing little distraction, and I was so glad to see Van Heflin actually get the good girl. (I've seen him in "Madame Bovary", he played poor sap Charles, and "Shane", as the farmer who Alan Ladd has to come rescue and he almost loses that wife as well.) He's a decent character actor, I'd like to see more of his stuff.#nosmileys

[Metella]

Geez; that sound delightful, actually.

Cable! I need cable.

[LOCIfan]

Hey MovieFans,

Now that we're staring down the barrel at a long, LOCIless summer, anybody up for another movie to watch and discuss?

Metella, any suggestions?

Just a thought...

[Metella]

Great idea! I got the Kane thing going - anyone else want to pick the next one?

[Techguy]

Are we going to stay with the theme of old B&W movies?

Since we did the drama CK last time, how about a comedy for a change of pace, such as "Some Like It Hot," "The Philadelphia Story," or "It Happened One Night."