Crawdaddy's "Random Thoughts" about Home Video, Film & TV (14 Viewers)

[mskaye]

Who are these two ugly dames with Errol Flynn in a 1950 photo?

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on the right Burt L...on the left...R Mitchum?

 

[Robert Crawford]

on the right Burt L...on the left...R Mitchum?

I was being rhetorical because even in makeup, most of us can identify them.

 

[Matt Hough]

Yes, and Burt was no lovelier as a woman in The List of Adrian Messenger though there he was playing more of a bag lady there.

 

[David Weicker]

Yes, and Burt was no lovelier as a woman in The List of Adrian Messenger though there he was playing more of a bag lady there.

Don’t forget Crimson Pirate

 

[Matt Hough]

I watched The Big Knife at lunchtime. I enjoyed it, and it certainly painted a black portrait of Hollywood behind-the-scenes. But it was very talky and very writery with dialogue containing metaphorical allusions that very few people in real life would use to express themselves. Palance got a really juicy leading role he could play to the hilt, probably hoping for an Oscar to match the Emmy he'd win that year for Requiem for a Heavyweight on TV. Steiger went a bit over-the-top for my taste, but Lupino, Hagen, and Winters all got nice chances to show their versatility. Loved Everett Sloane.

Naturally, the aspect ratio was all wrong. I used the LG's aspect ratio control to make it closer to what it should have been.

 

[mskaye]

I watched The Big Knife at lunchtime. I enjoyed it, and it certainly painted a black portrait of Hollywood behind-the-scenes. But it was very talky and very writery with dialogue containing metaphorical allusions that very few people in real life would use to express themselves. Palance got a really juicy leading role he could play to the hilt, probably hoping for an Oscar to match the Emmy he'd win that year for Requiem for a Heavyweight on TV. Steiger went a bit over-the-top for my taste, but Lupino, Hagen, and Winters all got nice chances to show their versatility. Loved Everett Sloane.

Naturally, the aspect ratio was all wrong. I used the LG's aspect ratio control to make it closer to what it should have been.

Steiger over the top? No way!

 

[Robert Crawford]

I watched The Big Knife at lunchtime. I enjoyed it, and it certainly painted a black portrait of Hollywood behind-the-scenes. But it was very talky and very writery with dialogue containing metaphorical allusions that very few people in real life would use to express themselves. Palance got a really juicy leading role he could play to the hilt, probably hoping for an Oscar to match the Emmy he'd win that year for Requiem for a Heavyweight on TV. Steiger went a bit over-the-top for my taste, but Lupino, Hagen, and Winters all got nice chances to show their versatility. Loved Everett Sloane.

Naturally, the aspect ratio was all wrong. I used the LG's aspect ratio control to make it closer to what it should have been.

I’m glad I watched my Arrow Blu-ray yesterday because I would’ve been pissed to see the non-OAR TCM presentation this morning. I don’t like messing with my LG settings to accommodate a messed-up video presentation.

This morning after listening to Eddie’s comments I decided to watch the Arrow Blu-ray again with the audio commentary. I learned a lot about this film and the relationship between Clifford Odets and John Garfield.

For those interested, Allied Vaughn has released "The Big Knife" on Blu-ray. However, you better hurry as Amazon is running out of stock because the number in-stock was 11 the other day and now it's down to 3 which is probably due to its showing in "Noir Alley". It's also in-stock with Deep Discount.

Amazon.com

 

[Robert Crawford]

Steiger over the top? No way!

I laughed out loud with that post. Another interesting thing about Steiger in this film is that at 30 years old, he was playing a supposedly much older man.

 

[mskaye]

I laughed out loud with that post. Another interesting thing about Steiger in this film is that at 30 years old, he was playing a supposedly much older man.

I guess they almost all looked older than what they actually were (and there are other reasons including the subject matter and mature nature of so much of the product.) Similarly, was watching the original TAKING OF PELHAM 1,2,3 last night and realized that the eternally older than he looked Walter Matthau was younger in that film than Robert Downey Jr. was in Oppenheimer!

 

[Robert Crawford]

Official TCM's "May" Schedule:

TCM Monthly Schedule - View the Full TCM TV Schedule

Find TCM's full month schedule and learn what classic movies will be airing on Turner Classic Movies. A printable schedule organized for the current month's programming is also available here.

www.tcm.com

 

[Robert Crawford]

I decided to watch my iTunes HD digital of "Born to be Bad" (1950) which I haven't seen in a number of years. Fontaine playing a femme fatale isn't a problem. However, with this particular femme fatale role in which she's playing a young woman who appears to be naive and uneducated to other people but is really a calculating and cold-hearted narcissist, I couldn't accept her in this role. Fontaine just looks too sophisticated and older to be playing a young woman in her early twenties. Furthermore, there were some plot points in the film that I just couldn't buy, particularly, the breakup between Joan Leslie and Zachary Scott. With that said, it's not a bad film and it has its moments so overall I give the movie a 3 out of 5 rating because I did enjoy much of the dialogue and the great cast of actors in it. The sexual attraction that Fontaine had for Robert Ryan was pretty enticing for such a movie filmed in 1949/1950.

 

[Robert Crawford]

I've seen similar Captain Blood photos of Olivia and Errol beforehand but not this particular one.

 

[Robin9]

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I decided to watch my iTunes HD digital of "Born to be Bad" (1950) which I haven't seen in a number of years. Fontaine playing a femme fatale isn't a problem. However, with this particular femme fatale role in which she's playing a young woman who appears to be naive and uneducated to other people but is really a calculating and cold-hearted narcissist, I couldn't accept her in this role. Fontaine just looks too sophisticated and older to be playing a young woman in her early twenties. Furthermore, there were some plot points in the film that I just couldn't buy, particularly, the breakup between Joan Leslie and Zachary Scott. With that said, it's not a bad film and it has its moments so overall I give the movie a 3 out of 5 rating because I did enjoy much of the dialogue and the great cast of actors in it. The sexual attraction that Fontaine had for Robert Ryan was pretty enticing for such a movie filmed in 1949/1950.

I've always enjoyed this film. Thanks for reminding me of it. I'll make a point of re-watching it in the next few days, possible tonight if I'm in the right mood.

 

[Robert Crawford]

This weekend's "Noir Alley" movie is "Dark Passage" (1947) starring Bogie, Lauren Bacall, Agnes Moorehead, Bruce Bennett, Tom D'Andrea and Clifton Young. Delmer Daves directed and wrote the screenplay. A somewhat controversial movie due to a couple of factors. It's also another repeat title on "Noir Alley". Granted, it's not among Bogie's best films, but I liked this movie more than many people. It's been several years since my last watch of Dark Passage, so I'll probably watch 2016 Blu-ray.



Updated TCM's Noir Alley 2024 Schedule:


12-02-23: Black Angel
12-09-23: I Wouldn't Be in Your Shoes
12-16-23: Beware, My Lovely
01-06-24: Pickup
01-13-24: I Died a Thousand Times
01-20-24: Stage Fright
01-27-24: Woman in Hiding
03-16-24: Le Samourai
03-23-24: Where Danger Lives
03-30-24: Pushover
04-06-24: Violence
04-13-24: The Breaking Point
04-20-24: Born to Kill
04-27-24: The Big Knife
05-04-24: Dark Passage
05-11-24: Follow Me Quietly
05-18-24: Take Aim at the Police Van (1960)
05-25-24: Bad for Each Other

 

[Robert Crawford]

I watched this 4K/UHD three times in the last 24 hours due to listening to two different audio commentaries. Just a wonderful release! The Blu-ray is derived from the same 4K scan used for the 4K/UHD. Below is the bonus material on the Blu-ray. The audio commentaries are also on the 4K/UHD disc.

 

[Matt Hough]

I've watched Dark Passage so many times over the years that I doubt I'll rewatch it tomorrow, but I'll tune in for Eddie's comments. Even if he repeats the script he's used before, he's bound to add (or subtract) something, so it's worth tuning in just for that. I'm certainly a fan of the film and have no problems with most of it.

 

[Robert Crawford]

I've watched Dark Passage so many times over the years that I doubt I'll rewatch it tomorrow, but I'll tune in for Eddie's comments. Even if he repeats the script he's used before, he's bound to add (or subtract) something, so it's worth tuning in just for that. I'm certainly a fan of the film and have no problems with most of it.

I've watched it many times too but haven't done so in at least six years. It was nice watching the Blu-ray again. I always enjoyed the movie but there are some major plot holes. Agnes Moorehead is my favorite part of the film.

 

[Mark-P]

Robert, I have a question for you regarding today’s Kino announcement of The Country Girl, The Rose Tattoo and Come Back Little Sheba. I buy lots of Kino titles that aren’t available digitally, but these three are and I already own them on iTunes so I have no plans to buy the Blu-rays. Paramount doesn’t have the same policy as Warner Archive in regards to updating digital files, so I think it’s highly probable that the digital files will be updated to the new masters at some point even if it is not the same time the Kino discs come out. My question for you is, if Paramount were to upgrade the digital files to 4K, would you still buy the Kino Blu-rays?

 

[Robert Crawford]

Robert, I have a question for you regarding today’s Kino announcement of The Country Girl, The Rose Tattoo and Come Back Little Sheba. I buy lots of Kino titles that aren’t available digitally, but these three are and I already own them on iTunes so I have no plans to buy the Blu-rays. Paramount doesn’t have the same policy as Warner Archive in regards to updating digital files, so I think it’s highly probable that the digital files will be updated to the new masters at some point even if it is not the same time the Kino discs come out. My question for you is, if Paramount were to upgrade the digital files to 4K, would you still buy the Kino Blu-rays?

Like you I have all three iTunes digitals, if they upgraded to 4K then I would buy them on physical media for the bonus material because I enjoy listening to audio commentaries. However, they would only be purchased during some kind of sale at a reduced price. Film titles that I’m lukewarm about will most likely have me making another decision. These three movies I like very much.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Last night's "Ask Eddie" episode: