Archive for August, 2011
Wednesday, August 17th, 2011
A Madcap Ride
Can one film save a failing movie studio? If the film is It Happened One Night (1934), it can. Columbia Pictures needed a hit in order to survive, and it was a gamble for the studio to spend $325,000 on this project, especially since several bus-related movies had recently failed at the box office. Fortunately, [...]
No Comments » - Posted in Cable and DVD by DavidE
Thursday, August 11th, 2011
A Question of Balance
What can I say to convince you to see Jean Renoir’s Grand Illusion (1937), if you haven’t already seen it? (If you have already seen it, you won’t need convincing). This quote from Orson Welles should do it, “If I had to save only one film in the world it would be Grand Illusion.” On [...]
No Comments » - Posted in Cable and DVD by DavidE
Thursday, August 11th, 2011
Rapid-Fire Comedy
Want to see the true genius of Howard Hawks? You only have to look as far as His Girl Friday (1940). As good as Ben Hecht’s play The Front Page was, it took Hawks (with Hecht’s assistance) to take it to the next level. Hawks talked about the origin of the film in an interview [...]
No Comments » - Posted in Cable and DVD by DavidE
Thursday, August 11th, 2011
When Legend Becomes Fact
Some films pack an extra wallop because they skillfully place the story and characters into a larger historical context. John Ford’s The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962) is just that kind of film. It explores the slippery relationship between legend and fact. It also explores the tension between an older, more violent west and [...]