tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-578997264816756307.post7364199115259214846..comments2024-01-11T05:02:32.321-05:00Comments on Goodfella's Movie Blog: 1961: The Innocents (Jack Clayton)Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07134196370913749544noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-578997264816756307.post-80916041819596489542010-03-28T07:02:06.869-04:002010-03-28T07:02:06.869-04:00Less is more. "The Innocents" is a class...Less is more. "The Innocents" is a classic example of horror films which rely on fine actors and powerful scripts to convey the essence of terror. Along with "The Haunting", this still remains one of the best ghost films to be made.Rob Jnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-578997264816756307.post-56957746365714455322009-10-14T20:20:55.076-04:002009-10-14T20:20:55.076-04:00I'll put in a vote for Il Posto though a repea...I'll put in a vote for Il Posto though a repeat viewing of Last Year at Marienbad might steal its thunder (I'm also a fan of Through a Glass Darkly, my favorite of the faith trilogy). The Olmi film is just another great Italian film from this era - warm, observant, melancholy. And I love the short film (from a few years later) included on the Criterion disc, although that's obviously neither here nor there given the subject at hand.<br /><br />Haven't seen The Innocents yet.Joel Bockohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11238338958380683893noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-578997264816756307.post-60989865992822145492009-08-05T17:58:25.096-04:002009-08-05T17:58:25.096-04:00El Cid is one that I haven't watched in quite ...El Cid is one that I haven't watched in quite a while, but as my appreciation of Anthony Mann has continually increased, I should probably revisit that one in the near future.Davehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07134196370913749544noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-578997264816756307.post-55653078539504847972009-08-05T12:31:01.532-04:002009-08-05T12:31:01.532-04:00Dave, that's an interesting choice. I've n...Dave, that's an interesting choice. I've never seen The Innocents but I suppose I'll correct that omission soon.<br /><br />My own favorite from 1961 is El Cid, Anthony Mann's masterpiece and the best of the big-screen epics of the period. It has one of Charlton Heston's best performances (and his best in epic mode) along with tremendous chemistry with Sophia Loren despite their hating each other's guts offscreen.<br /><br />My runners-up include Yojimbo, Pigs & Battleships (I'll be reviewing it this week),Divorce Italian Style, A Woman is a Woman, The Hustler and John Ford's Two Rode Together.<br /><br />On the subject of West Side Story, I'll readily defend the musical genre against literal-minded detractors, but I've found myself liking this film less than I used to. The direction is fine (and more than that in the opening) and the music is brilliant, but something (?) doesn't work for me anymore. The claim of the re-release trailer that the film only grows younger just isn't true. But it's still one of the better movie musicals and I won't begrudge anyone's enthusiasm for it.Samuel Wilsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00934870299522899944noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-578997264816756307.post-21032282396728709302009-08-05T12:22:15.314-04:002009-08-05T12:22:15.314-04:00Sam,
I still love West Side Story and the soundtr...Sam,<br /><br />I still love West Side Story and the soundtrack is probably one of the few vinyl albums I wore out from so much usage. The criticism it has received over the years have not diminished my love of this film. <br /><br />The first time I saw the film, I was pretty young and got my parents to go to see it, was when it was playing it premiere road show engagement at the Rivoli Theater on Broadway.<br />It was big event at the time, at least for me. My first time going to Broadway! Only two shows daily, tickets were purchased in advance by mail, you were seated by ushers, etc. It must have played at that one theater for at least a year before it spread out to theaters across the city.Johnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01808503055317962289noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-578997264816756307.post-74594821092452546562009-08-05T11:02:33.240-04:002009-08-05T11:02:33.240-04:00Great writeup. I wouldn't necessarily think of...Great writeup. I wouldn't necessarily think of this one as a #1 film myself, but it's certainly enjoyable enough. I like your discussion of the way the narrative ambiguity leads to two different equally horrifying possible interpretations, but what I really love about the film is its moody, sumptuous b&w cinematography.<br /><br />My own #1 for the year is probably <i>Viridiana</i>, one of Bunuel's most ambiguous and challenging films. This year also boasts a minor but charming Godard (<i>A Woman is a Woman</i>), the wonderful <i>Il posto</i> (though I prefer Olmi's even more haunting <i>I Fidanzati</i> from 1962), and the hilarious <i>One, Two, Three</i>, which is probably among the few funniest films I've ever seen.Ed Howardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18014222247676090467noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-578997264816756307.post-90758194162113536382009-08-05T10:13:20.311-04:002009-08-05T10:13:20.311-04:00Hey John:
I tend to dismiss the criticisms that h...Hey John:<br /><br />I tend to dismiss the criticisms that have ben aimed at WEST SIDE STORY over the years, as musicals in general seems to be second-guessed regularly, as they often wear thir heart on their sleeve. Our greatest film critic, Stanley Kaufmann continues to feel that it is the greatest of all film musicals. Said Kauffmann: "In the way it expresses the spirit of its subject, it is the greatest musical film I know." In 1961, the New York Film Critics Circle gave their Best Picture award to WEST SIDE STORY, a far more significant development than the 10 Oscars it won.<br /><br />Bernstein's operatic score is the greatest ever written, and songs like "Somewhere," "Tonight," "America," "Maria" and "One Hand One Heart" are standards. I realize that you stated here that you do love teh film, so my defense here is not aimed at you my good friend, but at the fickle nature of film criticism, which uses different criteria to judge the musical film.Sam Julianonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-578997264816756307.post-21331285391586644042009-08-05T08:25:36.886-04:002009-08-05T08:25:36.886-04:00Dave – a wonderful essay on a great film. As you i...Dave – a wonderful essay on a great film. As you imply, they don’t make horror films like they use too. This film, “The Haunting” and “The Uninvited” are my three favorite ghost films. Clayton is a subtle filmmaker, suitable for this kind of material (did you ever see his “Our Mother’s House?). Alas, I have to go with “The Hustler”, though “West Side Story” gives it a run for the money as my favorite musical of all time. I selected “The Hustler” because it is not only a personal favorite, then so is “West Side Story”, but it contains four excellent performances from Newman, Piper Laurie, Jackie Gleason and the great George C. Scott. Rossen also fashioned a great script creating the first in a series, for Newman, of classic 1960’s anti-hero roles. Rossen was always a tough hard-hitting, pull no punches writer and director.<br /><br />“Divorce, Italian Style” is a brilliant satire that I love dearly. As a kid, I loved “West Side Story” and must have gone back to the theater four or five times to see it. Over the years, the film has received some criticism but I still have a soft spot for it. “One, Two, Three” is maniacal Wilder, not as great as some of his others but still great and with Cagney!!! <br /><br />Going with date on IMDB I will be listing “Jules and Jim” on the 1962 listing. Some of the other films you mention I have not seen like “Last Year at Marienbad” and “Through a Glass Darkly.” A couple of films Sam mentions like “La Notte” and “Viradiana” are also no shows due to not seeing. “Victim” is a film I watched more than twenty years ago and has faded from my memory to comment. I do remember liking Dirk Bogarde. <br /><br />#1 The Hustler<br /><br />West Side Story<br />Divorce, Italian Style<br />Yojimbo<br />Splendor in the Grass<br />One, Two, Three<br />Guns of Navarone<br />The Innocents<br />The Pit and the PendulumJohnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01808503055317962289noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-578997264816756307.post-89122186174196639142009-08-05T07:47:36.834-04:002009-08-05T07:47:36.834-04:00My Own #1 Film of 1961:
West Side Story (Wise/Rob...My Own #1 Film of 1961:<br /><br />West Side Story (Wise/Robbins)<br /><br /><br />Runners-Up:<br /><br />La Notte (Antonioni; Italy)<br />Last Year at Marienbad (Resnais; France)<br />Il Posto (Olmi; Italy)<br />Mother, Joan of the Angels (Kawalerowitz; Poland)<br />Viridiana (Bunuel; Spain)<br />Une Femme est Une Femme (Godard; France)<br />Lola (Demy; France)<br />Through A Glass Darkly (Bergman; Sweden)<br />Jules and Jim (Truffaut)<br />The End of Summer (Ozu; Japan)<br />El Cid (Mann)<br />City of the Dead (Horror Hotel) Moxey<br />The Innocents (Clayton)<br />Pigs and Battleships (Imamura; Japan)<br />Siberian Lady Macbeth (Wajda; Poland)<br />The Hustler (Rosen)<br />Victim (Dearden; UK)<br />Splendor in the Grass (Kazan)<br />101 Dalmatians (Lucke)<br />Yojimbo (Kurosawa; Japan)<br /><br /><br />Excellent choice there Dave. THE INNOCENTS, which as you note was based on James's THE TURN OF THE SCREW, is a subtle psychological study. Even Benjamin Britten used the appealing subject to stage one of his greatest operas. Your entire argument about making a horror film effective without gore or violence of course, is the crux of this work.<br /><br />WEST SIDE STORY, which vies with Kern's SHOWBOAT as the greatest Broadway musical of all-time, certainly makes in spirity, choreography and operatic score the greatest film musical of them all. For me it is one of the greatest films of the 60's from any country in any genre.Sam Julianonoreply@blogger.com