#100 films of 1952

[project1939]

200 Films of 1952

Film number 199: The Stooge

Release date: Dec 31st, 1952 

Studio: Paramount 

Genre: comedy 

Director: Norman Taurog 

Producer: Hal B. Wallis 

Actors: Dean Martin, Jerry Lewis, Polly Bergen, Marion Marshall 

Plot Summary: Singer/comedian Bill struggles as a solo vaudevillian, but when his manager suggests adding a stooge named Ted to his act, they become a big hit. Ted is happy just to be a part of it all, but Bill’s growing ego refuses to give Ted any billing in the act. Bill’s wife and manager become increasingly horrified at his behavior. 

My Rating (out of five stars): ***¼  

The last Martin and Lewis film I saw was Sailor Beware, 189 films ago! (It was number 10 on my list.) I thought that was all I could take, given the fact that Jerry Lewis is an acquired taste for me. But I decided to watch one more film, because Martin and Lewis were simply everywhere in 1952. They were two of the biggest stars in the country- they had a television show, a radio show, and they released three films in just that year alone! Thankfully I liked The Stooge better than Sailor Beware- it portrayed the camaraderie and bond between the two more effectively and movingly. It made me understand why they were so famous and beloved. (some spoilers)

The Good: 

The chemistry and affection between the two was palpable in this. It was hard not to fall in love with them as a team. Dean Martin isn’t your typical cold and annoyed “straight man” in the act. He shows such warmth toward Lewis, it makes me a little verklempt!  

Dean Martin’s singing.

Both men are very natural on screen. They’re good actors with a kind of unaffected ease- to use the old phrase, “the camera loves them.” 

The film especially highlighted why each of them just wasn’t as good alone as they were when they were together. Even the scenes they were in separately lacked the same sparkle. That was exactly the point of the movie, which made the fact that they later split up even sadder. 

The final performance scene was nearly perfect. When Lewis snuggles into Martin, my heart melted, I’m not gonna lie. 

This film had more of an actual plot than Sailor Beware- it wasn’t just a string of gags loosely tied together.  

Aunt Bee! Frances Bavier played Lewis’ mom in this, eight years before her stint on The Andy Griffith Show. 

I wanna ride on an old train! Travel scenes in old movies where characters are in compartments like mini hotel rooms always seems so cool to me. Plus, I love the sound of trains going over the tracks. 

The Bad: 

Some of the schtick Lewis did was pretty predictable. The scenes that were basically just set ups for his gags were probably my least favorite part of the film. 

The first part was also too heavily weighted with these scenes. It felt like it got more balanced as things progressed. 

Bill’s character was not fleshed out enough. It was hard to understand both him and his choices, and the film spent virtually no time explaining or examining it. 

The first drunk scene with Bill just came out of nowhere. I don’t remember it ever even being mentioned that he liked to drink.  

Bill’s wife Mary got a bit annoying after a while- purely because of the way her character was written, not because of the actress. I liked Polly Bergen, but her character basically had a case of Classical Hollywood Good Wife Syndrome. It was a somewhat lighter case, though, because she was going to leave Bill before his change of heart- she wasn’t just a “suffering but loyal” wife. 

It maybe got a bit too maudlin at the very end. 

[oglegoggle]

False glamor and true evil of the music industry/Hollywood/show biz in general but uhhhhhh I wish I could give Elvis a hug

[firthbetterorfirthworse]

1952 Pride & Prejudice

Another victim of the 70s film purge, this adaptation starred Daphne Slater and Peter Cushing as our main couple, and was one of the first mini-series instead of being confined to under 100 or even 60 minutes.

It also had Thea Holme as Jane Austen! Since it was essentially live television even though recording was possible, Jane Austen served as a sort of narrator to piece things together and allowed some of the events to happen offscreen, as it were.

[gemsofgreece]

RIP Mimis Plessas

Mimis Plessas, a giant of Greek music composition, passed away at the age of 99. In fact, he would turn 100 in just 7 days and a big tribute concert with him as a honorary guest in order to celebrate his 100 years was planned for October 10th.

Some interesting facts about Mimis Plessas:

He became the First Piano Soloist in Greece in a very young age.

He studied Chemistry in Athens and the USA. He was a Chemistry Honorary Doctor in the University of Patras in Greece and the Cornell University of New York.

He won the first Music Award of the University of Minnesota.

A little later he was ranked as the fifth best active pianist in the USA, no small achievement for a young Greek immigrant who was there for chemistry.

He started music composition in 1952. He composed music for 104 movies and 70 theatrical plays. He was quite probably the most productive film music composer in Greece, writing laikó songs, musicals and instrumental film music.

He had conducted several of the most famous orchestras in the world and he has recorded albums of his in the US, the UK, France, the Netherlands and Spain.

His album Ο Δρόμος (The Road) with lyricist Lefteris Papadopoulos and singer Yannis Poulopoulos is the most commercially successful album of Greek music domestically.

In 2001 he was awarded the Gold Cross of the Order of the Phoenix (which apart from a Harry Potter book is also a legit honorary order of Greece since 1926) for his contribution to Greek music.

Below are a few of my favourite compositions by Mimis Plessas:

Το Άγαλμα (The Statue, from The Road)

Του Αγοριού Απέναντι (To The Boy Over There)

Βρέχει Φωτιά Στην Στράτα Μου (It Rains Fire On My Way)

Θα Πιω Απόψε το Φεγγάρι (I Will Drink the Moon Tonight)

Οι Θαλασσιές Σου Οι Χάντρες (Your Sea-Blue Beads)

For anyone interested, Mimis Plessas also produced a lot of jazz music but because I am not into that genre, I wouldn't know what to recommend. But he wrote most of the shakes in Greek movies. For example, The Spider's Shake is his (sorry for bad quality). (Pay no mind, just another excuse for me to post Karagianni.)

And this slow sequence by Vouyouklaki is also his. (BTW this comedy is such a must watch if you speak Greek)

RIP Mimis

[brokehorrorfan]

Alfred Hitchcock: The Iconic Film Collection will be released on November 26 via Universal. The 4K Ultra HD + Digital set collects six of the Master of Suspense's classic thrillers: Rear Window, To Catch a Thief, Vertigo, North By Northwest, Psycho, and The Birds.

Limited to 5,150, the six-disc collection is housed in premium book-style packaging featuring artwork by Tristan Eaton along with photos, bios, and trivia.

The uncut version of Psycho is included. Special features are detailed below.

1954's Rear Window is written by John Michael Hayes (To Catch a Thief), based on Cornell Woolrich’s 1942 short story "It Had to Be Murder." James Stewart, Grace Kelly, Wendell Corey, Thelma Ritter, and Raymond Burr star.

Rear Window special features:

Audio commentary by Hitchcock’s Rear Window: The Well-Made Film author John Fawell

Rear Window Ethics - 2000 documentary

Conversation with Screenwriter John Michael Hayes

Pure Cinema: Through the Eyes of The Master

Breaking Barriers: The Sound of Hitchcock

Masters of Cinema

Hitchcock/Truffaut - Audio recording from filmmaker François Truffaut’s in-depth interview with director Alfred Hitchcock about Rear Window

Production photo gallery

Theatrical trailer

Re-release trailer narrated by James Stewart

A wheelchair-bound photographer spies on his neighbors from his apartment window and becomes convinced one of them has committed murder.

1955's To Catch a Thief is written by John Michael Hayes (Rear Window), based on David Dodge’s 1952 novel of the same name. Cary Grant, Grace Kelly, Jessie Royce Landis, and John Williams star.

To Catch a Thief special features:

Audio commentary by Hitchcock historian Dr. Drew Casper

Filmmaker Focus: Leonard Maltin on To Catch a Thief

Behind the Gates: Cary Grant and Grace Kelly

A retired jewel thief sets out to prove his innocence after being suspected of returning to his former occupation.

1958's Vertigo is written by Alec Coppel (No Highway in the Sky) and Samuel A. Taylor (Sabrina), based on Boileau-Narcejac’s 1954 novel The Living and the Dead. James Stewart, Kim Novak, Barbara Bel Geddes, Tom Helmore, and Henry Jones star.

Vertigo special features:

Audio commentary by filmmaker William Friedkin (The Exorcist)

Obsessed with Vertigo: New Life for Hitchcock’s Masterpiece

Partners In Crime: Hitchcock’s Collaborators

Saul Bass: Title Champ

Edith Head: Dressing the Master’s Movies

Bernard Herrmann: Hitchcock’s Maestro

Alma: The Master’s Muse

Foreign censorship ending

100 Years of Universal: The Lew Wasserman Era

Hitchcock/Truffaut - Audio recording from filmmaker François Truffaut’s in-depth interview with director Alfred Hitchcock about Vertigo

Theatrical trailer

Restoration theatrical trailer

A former police detective juggles wrestling with his personal demons and becoming obsessed with a hauntingly beautiful woman.

1959's North by Northwest is written by Ernest Lehman (The Sound of Music, West Side Story). Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint, James Mason, and Jessie Royce Landis star.

North by Northwest special features:

Audio commentary by writer Ernest Lehman

North by Northwest: Cinematography, Score, and the Art of the Edit

Destination Hitchcock: The Making of North by Northwest

The Master’s Touch: Hitchcock’s Signature Style

North by Northwest: One for the Ages

A Guided Tour with Alfred Hitchcock

A New York City advertising executive goes on the run after being mistaken for a government agent by a group of foreign spies, and falls for a woman whose loyalties he begins to doubt.

1960's Psycho is written by Joseph Stefano (The Outer Limits), based on Robert Bloch’s 1959 novel of the same name. Anthony Perkins, Vera Miles, John Gavin, Martin Balsam, John McIntire, and Janet Leigh star.

Psycho special features:

Original uncut and standard re-releases version of the film

The Making of Psycho

The Making of Psycho audio commentary with Alfred Hitchcock and The Making of Psycho author Stephen Rebello

Psycho Sound

In The Master’s Shadow: Hitchcock’s Legacy

Newsreel Footage: The Release of Psycho

The Shower Scene: With and Without Music

The Shower Sequence: Storyboards by Saul Bass

The Psycho Archives

Hitchcock/Truffaut - Audio recording from filmmaker François Truffaut’s in-depth interview with director Alfred Hitchcock about Psycho

Posters and ad gallery

Lobby card gallery

Behind-the-scenes photo gallery

Production photo gallery

Psycho theatrical trailers

Psycho re-release trailer

A secretary on the run for embezzlement takes refuge at a secluded motel owned by a repressed man and his overbearing mother.

1963's The Birds is written by Evan Hunter (High and Low), based on Daphne du Maurier’s 1952 short story of the same name. Tippi Hedren, Rod Taylor, Jessica Tandy, Suzanne Pleshette, and Veronica Cartwright star.

The Birds special features:

The Birds: Hitchcock’s Monster Movie

All About The Birds

Original ending

Deleted scene

Tippi Hedren’s screen test

The Birds is coming (Universal International Newsreel)

Suspense Story: National Press Club hears Hitchcock (Universal International Newsreel)

100 Years of Universal: Restoring the Classics

100 Years of Universal: The Lot

Hitchcock/Truffaut - Audio recording from filmmaker François Truffaut’s in-depth interview with director Alfred Hitchcock about Vertigo

Theatrical trailer

A wealthy San Francisco socialite pursues a potential boyfriend to a small Northern California town that slowly takes a turn for the bizarre when birds of all kinds suddenly begin to attack people.

Pre-order Alfred Hitchcock: The Iconic Film Collection.

[joshuasumter]

You're not going to believe this! The Disney 100-year Anniversary crossover short, Once Upon A Studio, is coming! 100 years of stories, 100 years of magic, 100 years of Disney! It's like Disney's House of Mouse all over again, with a hint of Night at the Museum. I've been waiting for this all my life, I'm so excited! (Also gets you and some people hoping for a House of Mouse revival/reboot on Disney+, or maybe a mini-series inspired by this short) Featuring 543 characters from over 85 Disney films and shorts, the following list features those that are only from Walt Disney Productions (1937–1985), Walt Disney Feature Animation Studios (1986–2007), and Walt Disney Animation Studios (2007-present).

Films

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

Pinocchio 

Fantasia 

The Reluctant Dragon

Dumbo 

Bambi 

Saludos Amigos

Victory Through the Air

The Three Caballeros 

Make Mine Music 

Song of the South 

Fun and Fancy Free 

Melody Time 

So Dear to My Heart 

The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad

Cinderella (1-3)

Alice in Wonderland 

Peter Pan (1-2)

Lady and the Tramp (1-2)

Sleeping Beauty 

101 Dalmatians (1-2)

The Sword in the Stone 

Mary Poppins 

The Jungle Book (1-2)

The Aristocats 

Bedknobs and Broomsticks 

Robin Hood 

The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh 

The Rescuers

Pete's Dragon

The Fox and the Hound (1-2)

The Black Cauldron 

The Great Mouse Detective 

Oliver & Company 

The Little Mermaid (1-3)

The Rescuers: Down Under

Beauty and the Beast (1-3)

Aladdin (1-3)

The Lion King (1-3)

Pocahontas (1-2)

The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1-2)

Hercules 

Mulan (1-2)

Tarzan (1-2, Tarzan & Jane)

Fantasia 2000 

Dinosaur 

The Emperor's New Groove (1-2: Kronk's New Groove)

Atlantis: The Lost Empire (1-2: Milo's Return)

Lilo & Stitch (1-2: Stitch has a Glitch)

Treasure Planet 

Brother Bear (1-2)

Home of the Range  

Chicken Little 

Meet the Robinsons  

Bolt 

The Princess and the Frog 

Tangled 

Winnie the Pooh

Wreck-It Ralph

Frozen

Big Hero 6 

Zootopia 

Moana 

Ralph Breaks the Internet

Frozen 2

Raya and the Last Dragon 

Encanto  

Strange World 

Wish 

Shorts

Oswald the Lucky Rabbit in "Trolley Troubles"

Mickey Mouse in "Steamboat Willie"

Silly Symphony (Three Pigs, Big Bad Wolf)

Donald Duck

Goofy

Pluto

Figaro 

Chip n' Dale

Adventures in Music

Humphrey the Bear

John Henry (Disney's American Legends)

Ballad of Nessie

Paperman

Ben and Me (1953)

Toot, Whistle, Plunk and Boom (1953)

Lambert the Sleepish Lion (1952)

*Roger Rabbit, made by Richard Williams's studio in England, and Enchanted, made by Tony Baxter, will not appear in this short because they don't belong to WDAS. 69 + 16 = 85!

[filmnoirfoundation]

FNF Donation Drive Giveaway!

For a chance to win three winners in random drawings will receive five NOIR CITY Magazine digital back issues — #16, #25, #28, #33, #38 —sent via WeTransfer file transfer service to your email address, donate $20 or more to the FNF between now and September 5. Your name will be entered in a random drawing. Three winners will receive the issues.

And, for a donation of $50 or more, a winner in a random drawing will receive Flicker Alley’s Blu-ray/DVD releases of two FNF restorations — Too Late for Tears (1949) with Lizabeth Scott and Dan Duryea and The Man Who Cheated Himself (1950) with Lee J. Cobb, Jane Wyatt, and John Dall. Special features produced by the FNF included on each Blu-ray/DVD.

All winners will be announced Tuesday, September 10, on the FNF's news page.

Everyone who donates $20 or more and signs up on our e-mail list, will automatically receive the digital version of NOIR CITY e-magazine for a year! What do Viola Lawrence, William Friedkin, Morris Lipsius, Rose Glass, Peter Lorre, Kyle MacLachlan, Jean Gabin, The Lady from Shanghai, Cruising, Finger Man, D.O.A., and Love Lies Bleeding all have in common? They are all discussed in the latest issue of NOIR CITY, the world’s greatest magazine devoted to our favorite subject, film noir.

Your donations help the FNF locate, restore, and exhibit films that, without our intervention, would be lost forever.

Already a NOIR CITY subscriber? We have drawings for you too!

Three separate $20 donors will receive either the Criterion DVD release of The Asphalt Jungle (1950), a Criterion Blu-ray of Bound (1996) starring Jennifer Tilly and Gina Gershon, or the FNF restoration Blu-ray/DVD of Too Late for Tears (1949).

For $60 donations, a winner in a random drawing will receive the Criterion Blu-ray release of Thelma & Louise (1991) starring Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis, illustrator Graham Chaffee’s To Have and To Hold, and the NOIR CITY Experience book about the first twenty years of the NOIR CITY film festival.

For $75-100 donations, a winner in a random drawing will receive the new Blu-ray release of Kino Lorber’s Film Noir: The Dark Side of Cinema XVII with Edward G. Robinson films Vice Squad (1953), Black Tuesday (1954), and Nightmare (1956); the Flicker Alley Blu-ray/DVD release of the FNF’s latest restoration No abras nunca esa puerta (1952 - Argentina); and a copy of Eddie Muller’s The Distance.

For $125+ donations, one winner in a random drawing will receive a Gloria Grahame trio – Human Desire (Kino Blu-ray Special Edition), Odds Against Tomorrow (Kino Blu-ray Special Edition), and In a Lonely Place (Criterion DVD); the Flicker Alley Blu-ray/DVD release of the FNF’s restoration El vampiro negro (1953 - Argentina); the about-to-be-published NOIR CITY Annual 16 (releasing September 2024); and the NOIR CITY Experience book – 20 years of the NOIR CITY film festival.

For a shot any of these goods, make your donation to the FNF between now and September 5. Your name will be entered into the random drawings for your donation amount. All winners will be announced on Tuesday, September 10, on the FNF's NEWS page.

[20th-century-man]

how do you keep your blog from getting labeled as explicit by tumblr?

Well, in my personal view, it's not really "explicit", is it?

But the real answer is even simpler. And, at the same time, impossibly complex.

The real answer is that I do not know why my tumblr has not been labeled "explicit".

Just as I do not know why certain posts are being forced to have a "Community Label".

Just as I do not know why certain long-standing, well-regarded tumblrs are being terminated, without explanation and, in my opinion, without cause.

The reasons I do not know why these things are happening or not happening are:

Because there is NO transparency in tumblr's processes of enforcing its policies;

There is NO consistency in how these policies are enforced;

There are NO explanations provided when these policies are acted upon;

And there is NO clarity in the processes or in the policies themselves.

Recently, several of my posts have been required to have labels and I cannot, for the life of me, understand why:

A post of Tina Turner onstage wearing a costume that covers her from head to toe;

A post of Marilyn Monroe (from a 1952 photo shoot for LIFE magazine!) where she is wearing a negligee and a pair of huge 1950's panties and nothing is revealed at all;

A post of Jim Brown and Raquel Welch for the 1969 film 100 Rifles; they are embracing, it might be implied that Miss Welch is nude (but nothing but her back can be seen):

A post of Jennifer Aniston where she is nude but all that can be seen are arms and legs;

Several posts of vintage pin up illustrations where there is no nudity at all - the women illustrated are clothed and not engaged in anything provocative.

I have appealed these - some appeals have been granted, others have not, others are still pending. This process is not only unexplained and inconsistent with the "policy", it also takes forever.

So I do not know why my tumblr has not been labeled "explicit". It would not surprise me if it suddenly was. It would also not surprise me, given recent events, if it was suddenly terminated.

My tumblr will be 11 years old this September. It has more than 22,500 posts. It has a lot of followers. It generates over 60,000 notes each month, nearly 5 million since I started it. Whether any of that has any effect, I do not know.

And that not knowing has become a problem for me. I am actively exploring other venues for sharing my 250,000+ image collection.

I do not like the uncertainty here and I do not like what tumblr is becoming.

[best-movie-ever-tournament]

The Wizard of Oz:

The tale of a young girl and her little dog who winds up in a fantasy land, meeting all sorts of wild and unlikely friends along the way to getting back home. This film is a classic for a reason. The music, the characters, the production, everything is so spot-on perfect and has become such an engrained part of cinema that I almost think people can take it for granted sometimes. I love this film and the fact that it is 100% sincere in it's passion for creating a fantasy world. Not a single ironic or mean bone in this whole film, it's committed to embracing the joy that can come from cinema.

It's famous for its segueing from black and white to colour when Dorothy enters Oz, but honestly? I think it deserves a place in the tournament based solely on the fantastic look of the flying monkeys. Absolutely iconic, so much more terrifying than anything they could do with CGI today.

Singin' in the rain:

One of the best musical comedies, full stop. Even as a child, I loved the delicious comeuppance at the ending so much I'd run into the room my mom was watching it in just to see that part. My brother hates musicals and he can still quote the mic testing scene with Lina. And the relationship between the main three characters? The good morning song? Cosmo in general? Unrivaled.

[whitewaterpaper]

Denna månad läste jag ut en klassiker av böcker: Hajen, och detta firades med att sedan se om Steven Spielbergs klassiska adaption av romanen. När jag såg att det var PÅ MÅNADEN 10 år sedan jag såg den sist, då i samband med Hajfesten 🦈 på SFN, visste vore det kul att se om filmerna vi såg då?

100 Million BC (2008) [👍🔁]

Astérix & Obélix: I drakens rike / Astérix & Obélix: L'Empire du Milieu (2023) [👍]

Cape Town Affair, the (1967) [👎] En spionfilm där man får för sig att en film inte behöver något mer än en banal spionintrig för att bära sig och vara spännande.

Cruel Jaws (1995) [👎🔁🦈]

Hajen 2 / Jaws 2 (1978) [🔁🦈]

Hajen 3 / Jaws 3-D (1983) [👍🔁🦈] Antagligen den av uppföljarna jag tycker mest om.

Hajen 4 / Jaws: The Revenge (1987) [👎🔁🦈] En dikeskörning av episka mått...

Hajen / Jaws (1975) [👍🔁🦈]

Jack och Bönstjälken / Jack and the Beanstalk (1952) [👍] Tror det här var min första konakt med Abbot & Costello, över förväntan bra med en intressant take på den klassiska sagan.

Jättehajen: Vindsurfarnas Skräck / L'ultimo Squalo (1981) [🔁🦈]

Mortal Engines (2018) [👍🔁]

Ännu en omtitt för att jag läst boken. En del ändringar från boken, men ändå en rakt igenom bra film.

Once Upon a Crime / Akazukin, tabi no tochu de shitai to deau (2023) [👍] Japanskt sagoäventyr där Rödluvan träffar Askungen och dras in i ett mordmysterium. Kul koncept, har sina hål i storyn men bröderna Grimm filtrerat genom ett japanskt öga är sannerligen en intressant upplevelse.

Pirates of Capri, the / I Pirati di Capri (1949) [__]

Rid i natt! (1942) [__] Stolpig svensk film, lite småtrist berättad och en intrig vi känner igen från många andra filmer.

Träskmannen / Swamp Thing (1982) [__]

Up from the Depths (1979) [🔁🦈] aka "Jättegäddan Anfaller".

Herrej-vlar vad jag sett om filmer denna månad. Kul.

Den japanska "Once Upon A Crime" kanske kan vara lite extra sevärd denna månad, trots att den kanske inte är perfekt.

[project1939]

100+ Films of 1952

Film number 139: The Flavor of Green Tea Over Rice (Ochazuke no Aji) 

Release date: October 1st, 1952 

Studio: Shochiku 

Genre: drama/foreign 

Director: Yasujiro Ozu 

Actors: Shin Saburi, Michiyo Kogure, Koji Tsuruta, Chikage Awashima 

Plot Summary: Taeko and Mokichi Satake, a middle-aged upper-class couple, seem trapped in a loveless marriage. When Taeko’s niece is offered a prospective husband through an arranged marriage, she desperately tries to stop it, fearing she’ll become like her unhappy aunt. 

My Rating (out of five stars): ****½  

Right off the bat I'll confess that Ozu is my favorite Japanese filmmaker and easily one of my favorite directors full-stop. I relish character driven films that take the time to portray minute details of people's lives, letting the audience understand them through their smallest gestures and reactions. This movie is classic Ozu up and down- a light drama depicting the lives of middle/upper class people, highlighting relationships with long scenes of their interactions. It’s not a masterpiece like Late Spring or Tokyo Story, but it is still a highly interesting film worth your time. (minor spoilers) 

The Good: 

All of the actors were really strong, with Shin Saburi and Michiyo Kogure especially standing out as the discontented main couple. I adored Koji Tsuruta as the puppy-like Non-chan, as well. 

I love Ozu’s camerawork and style. Here we see a lot of his trademarks- low camera angles, slow backward zoom-out movements, the way he has his actors look almost directly into the camera when they speak, and his disregard for the conventional 180-degree rule in editing between multiple characters.  

There were really strong character studies in this, especially with Taeko, Mokichi, and Setsuko. 

The way the dialogue conveys so much with superficial statements and/or long pauses. Somehow Ozu is a genius at filling this kind of communication with meaning! 

I flipped out with joy when a scene had a Takarazuka reference! Four women were relaxing at an onsen, and one of them started singing “Sumire no Hana Saku Koro,” a standard Takarazuka song. They didn’t mention the word, but another woman chimed in to talk about how they would skip school to see performances! 

One of my favorite scenes was when Mokichi tries to explain to his highly cultured wife Taeko why he likes “simple, primitive, and modest” things- using the cheap cigarettes and third-class train tickets that he loves as examples. Shin Sabure’s performance here was really moving. 

The scene near the end when the couple make the titular ochazuke was probably the highlight. It’s a beautiful example of how Ozu can take small mundane things and keep you totally transfixed as you watch. (And ochazuke is a perfect example of how something “simple, primitive, and modest” can be absolutely heavenly, btw! It's one of my favorite comfort foods.) 

There were lots of great details of everyday Japanese culture in the 1950s- there were long scenes in a pachinko parlor, a kabuki theater, at a baseball game, and at a keirin race. 

The Bad: 

The ending maybe wrapped-up things a little too nicely? It got more overtly sentimental than other Ozu films I’ve seen.  

Sometimes the pace was possibly a wee bit too slow, even accounting for Ozu’s more relaxed tempo in general. I was never bored, though. 

[gone2soon-rip]

GLYNIS JOHNS (1923-Died January 4th 2024,at 100).British actress, dancer, musician and singer. In a career spanning eight decades on stage and screen, Johns appeared in more than 60 films and 30 plays. She received various accolades throughout her career, including a Tony Award and a Drama Desk Award as well as nominations for an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Laurence Olivier Award. She is widely considered to have been one of the last surviving major stars from the Golden Age of Hollywood and classical years of British cinema.

Johns was born in Pretoria, South Africa, the daughter of Welsh actor Mervyn Johns. She appeared on stage from a young age and was typecast as a stage dancer from early adolescence, making her screen debut in South Riding (1938). She rose to prominence in the 1940s following her role as Anna in the war drama film 49th Parallel (1941), for which she won a National Board of Review Award for Best Acting, and starring roles in Miranda (1948) and Third Time Lucky (1949). Following No Highway in the Sky (1951), a joint British-American production, Johns took on increasingly more roles in the United States and elsewhere. She made her television and Broadway debuts in 1952 and took on starring roles in such films as The Sword and the Rose (1953), The Weak and the Wicked (1954), Mad About Men (1954), The Court Jester (1955), The Sundowners (1960), The Cabinet of Caligari (1962), The Chapman Report (1962), and Under Milk Wood (1972). On television, she starred in her own sitcom Glynis (1963).

Renowned for the breathy quality of her husky voice,Johns sang songs written specifically for her both on screen and stage, including "Sister Suffragette", written by the Sherman Brothers for Disney's Mary Poppins (1964), in which she played Winifred Banks and for which she received a Laurel Award, and "Send In the Clowns", composed by Stephen Sondheim for Broadway's A Little Night Music (1973), in which she originated the role of Desiree Armfeldt and for which she received a Tony Award and Drama Desk Award.Glynis Johns - Wikipedia

[videli-jste-tento-film]

tumblr viděl 100 filmů! aneb 25. statistika

Princezna se zlatou hvězdou (1959) : vidělo 97,6 %, nezná 0 %

Tři oříšky pro Popelku (1973) : vidělo 95,9 %, nezná 0 %

Pyšná princezna (1952) : vidělo 94,3 %, nezná 0 %

S čerty nejsou žerty (1985) : vidělo 93,9 %, nezná 1,2 %

Noc na Karlštejně (1974) : vidělo 92 %, nezná 1,3 %

Lotrando a Zubejda (1997) : vidělo 91,5 %, nezná 1,2 %

Princ a Večernice (1979) : vidělo 91,3 %, nezná 1,4 %

Ať žijí duchové (1977) : vidělo 90,8 %, nezná 5,3 %

Princezna ze mlejna (1994) : vidělo 90,7 %, nezná 1,3 % N

Anděl Páně (2005) : vidělo 88,4 %, nezná 1,1 %

náhodné poznatky: speciální faktoidní edice

zastoupení filmů podle dekády je takovéhle:

Nejvíce známých filmů pochází z osmdesátých let, pak následují sedmdesátky a za nimi s drobným odstupem roky 2000–2009; stále existují dvě dekády, z kterých nikdo nic neviděl, a uboze jsou na tom nové filmy, které obvykle znáte, ale nesledujete je (ten jediný spatřený film je štědrovečerní pohádka); zdaleka nejpopulárnější dekáda jsou ovšem léta padesátá, kde jde sice jen o 11 filmů, to ale představuje hned 73 % ze všech filmů z této dekády, o kterých se hlasovalo – asi budu muset dát do pranice něco budovatelského, aby se to vyrovnalo

nejúspěšnějšími roky z pohledu kultovnosti jejich filmů jsou 1977 a 1980 (po pěti filmech), jinak je to poměrně vyrovnané

jediná dekáda, kde jsme kolektivně viděli aspoň jeden film z každého roku, jsou nulté roky, jinak se to žádnému desetiletí nepovedlo, ale osmdesátky se blíží (schází už jen 1988!)

průměrný počet hlasů je (zaokrouhleně) 76, což je více než u všech filmů dohromady (70) i u neznámých filmů (64)

stejně jako u stovky neznámých filmů jsem si dovolila něco o žánru:

Celkem nepřekvapivě jsou top 3 žánry komedie (64), pohádka (40) a rodinný film (17) – pro srovnání u 100 neznámých filmů šlo o komedii (57), drama (39) a pohádku (9) – jsme prostě veselý národ; stejně jako minule předestírám, že jde o žánry z ČSFD, někdy značně pochybné.

a závěrem statistika dle režisérů (hvězdičkou jsou označeni ti, kteří figurují také v žebříčku neznámých filmů, kurzívou pak ženy):

10 filmů: Zdeněk Troška*

8 filmů: Václav Vorlíček*

7 filmů: Oldřich Lipský*

5 filmů: Martin Frič*, Karel Janák*

4 filmy: Bořivoj Zeman*, Jiří Menzel*, Jan Svěrák

3 filmy: Marie Poledňáková, Ladislav Smoljak*

2 filmy: Karel Zeman, Zdeněk Podskalský*, Karel Smyczek, Jiří Strach*, Vlasta Janečková, Jan Hřebejk, F. A. Brabec*, Věra Plívová-Šimková*, Dušan Klein*, Karel Steklý, Juraj Herz*, Václav Gajer

1 film: Hynek Bočan, Jiří Adamec, Jiří Vejdělek, Eduard Hofman, Filip Renč*, Josef Mach, Ivo Macharáček, Vladimír Karlík, Antonín Moskalyk, Vlasta Pospíšilová + Aurel Klimt*, Roman Vávra, Ludvík Ráža, Zdeněk Zelenka, Jiří Věrčák, Peter Bebjak, Miloslav Šmídmajer*, Ondřej Trojan*, Antonín Kachlík, Zdeněk Sirový*, Milan Cieslar*, Petr Nikolaev*, Ivo Novák*, Jindřich Polák*

ve srovnání s režiséry neznámých filmů je tu patrný jistý monopol a musím vám říct, že ten Troška na mě skočil totálně nečekán a ze zálohy

Tož. Stačilo by. Uvidíme se opět, až uvidíte nebo neuvidíte nějaké filmy. Celý žebříček viděných filmů najdete pod perexem. Mějte se fanfárově.

Princezna se zlatou hvězdou (1959)

Tři oříšky pro Popelku (1973)

Pyšná princezna (1952)

S čerty nejsou žerty (1985)

Noc na Karlštejně (1974)

Lotrando a Zubejda (1997)

Princ a Večernice (1979)

Ať žijí duchové (1977)

Princezna ze mlejna (1994) N

Anděl Páně (2005)

S tebou mě baví svět (1982)

Jak utopit dr. Mráčka aneb Konec vodníků v Čechách (1974)

Tři veteráni (1983)

Šíleně smutná princezna (1968)

Marečku, podejte mi pero! (1976)

Anděl Páně 2 (2016)

Jak dostat tatínka do polepšovny (1978)

Jak vytrhnout velrybě stoličku (1977)

Princezna ze mlejna 2 (2000) N

Princové jsou na draka (1980)

Zlatovláska (1973)

Císařův pekař - Pekařův císař (1951)

Pelíšky (1999)

Adéla ještě nevečeřela (1978)

Jak se budí princezny (1977)

Honza málem králem (1977)

Dívka na koštěti (1971)

Limonádový Joe aneb Koňská opera (1964)

Účastníci zájezdu (2006)

Stvoření světa (1957)

O princezně Jasněnce a létajícím ševci (1987) N

Jára Cimrman ležící, spící (1983)

Na samotě u lesa (1976)

Rebelové (2001)

Vesničko má středisková (1985)

Z pekla štěstí (1999)

Vrchní, prchni (1980)

Hrátky s čertem (1957)

Tajemství staré bambitky (2011)

Slunce, seno, jahody (1984)

Slunce, seno a pár facek (1989)

Sněženky a machři (1982) N

Kytice (2000)

O princezně, která ráčkovala (1986)

Obecná škola (1991)

Cesta do pravěku (1955)

Třetí princ (1982)

Slunce, seno, erotika (1991)

Postřižiny (1980)

Nejkrásnější hádanka (2008)

Kameňák (2003)

Páni kluci (1975)

Fimfárum Jana Wericha (2002)

Dařbuján a Pandrhola (1959)

Popelka (1969)

Kolja (1996)

Kuky se vrací (2010)

Snowboarďáci (2004)

Jezerní královna (1998) N

Čert ví proč (2003)

Tajemství hradu v Karpatech (1981)

Jak básníci přicházejí o iluze (1984)

Sedmero krkavců (1993)

Dobrý voják Švejk (1956)

Což takhle dát si špenát (1977)

Korunní princ (2015) N

Rafťáci (2006)

Kouzla králů (2008)

Škola základ života (1938)

Krakonoš a lyžníci (1980)

Saturnin (1994)

Poslušně hlásím (1957)

Slavnosti sněženek (1983)

Krakonošovo tajemství (2022)

Vratné lahve (2007)

Jak svět přichází o básníky (1982)

Probudím se včera (2012)

Jáchyme, hoď ho do stroje! (1974)

Spalovač mrtvol (1968)

Občanský průkaz (2010)

Princ Bajaja (1974)

Černí baroni (1992)

Dešťová víla (2010)

Princezna a půl království (2019) N

Pupendo (2003)

Panna a netvor (1978)

Báječná léta pod psa (1997)

Léto s kovbojem (1983)

Z pekla štěstí 2 (2001) N

Rozpuštěný a vypuštěný (1984)

Trhák (1980)

Pod Jezevčí skálou (1978) N

Anděl na horách (1955)

Ať žijí rytíři (2009)

Kačenka a strašidla (1992)

Máj (2008)

Vynález zkázy (1958)

Král sokolů (2000)

Na pytlácké stezce (1979) N

Kristián (1939)

[kylesvariouslistsandstuff]

THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS enjoys another re-release theatrically before Halloween...

This is... The seventh theatrical re-release... Domestically. As in, a wide release and not a limited engagement. Like a one-night only thing... I mean a full release that lasts more than a week and runs everyday until it's gone...

There was a small re-issue in 2000, prior to the DVD release. Then, it was converted to 3D and re-released in 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2009. Five so far. Then there was a re-release in 2020 when the theaters were slowly opening back up, w/ limited auditorium capacity. (The distanced seats, remember that?) Lastly, there was the 2023 re-release, for the film's 30th anniversary. Now we're on re-issue #7... Just because.

That's cool though, but it's interesting in that this 31-year-old movie has seen as many re-releases as the oldest Disney animated features... Which are decades older than this movie is...

For context... SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS, the very first Disney animated feature film... Was re-released eight times: 1944, 1952, 1958, 1967, 1975, 1983, 1987, and 1993. It's turning 87 in a few months...

The video age mostly brought the end to Disney theatrically re-releasing their movies. Video killed the re-release, oh-a-oh...

What happened was... The first Disney animated film to see a re-release after a home video debut was PINOCCHIO. PINOCCHIO went to video in summer 1985, this particular release - with its nighttime cover depicting Pinoke and Jiminy strolling through the countryside - disappeared a couple of times, coming back w/ a new price... and then went into the vault completely by early 1987. It wouldn't see a new video release for a long time.

Disney re-released PINOCCHIO theatrically, in a new "restored" form, in summer 1992... To underwhelming box office. Disney surmised that people either owned the 1985 VHS release, or rented it. It was no longer viable as a re-release title. Especially when the gross ($18m) was put next to the 1991 re-release of 101 DALMATIANS ($60m) and the 1990 re-release of THE JUNGLE BOOK ($44m)... Those, as you may have guessed, weren't on video yet.

The low gross lead to them cancelling a re-release of SLEEPING BEAUTY set for spring 1993, as that too had come to video in the mid-1980s. A preview of that scrapped re-release appears on the VHS of BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, that must be how last-minute the cancellation was.

So with video, usually a film wouldn't appear again in theater. Disney did put THE LITTLE MERMAID back in theaters in 1997, and it only did so-so. Again, the video had come out in 1990 and sold around 10m copies in North America.

In 2002, BEAUTY AND THE BEAST and THE LION KING got extended "Special Edition" IMAX-only re-releases that only did so-so at best. Their performances lead to them scrapping the plans to do the same for ALADDIN (where they would've animated a new sequence set to the unused song "Proud of Your Boy") and POCAHONTAS (which may explain the completion of the cut "If I Never Knew You" scene that appears on the 10th anniversary DVD).

Then there was Disney's brief go at 3D re-releases, it had only resulted in theatrical runs for THE LION KING (in 2011, to great success) and BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (in early 2012, to relatively so-so results), in addition to Pixar's FINDING NEMO and MONSTERS, INC. They also did so-so in comparison to LION KING in 2011. A fall 2013 LITTLE MERMAID re-release got nerfed thereafter.

2020 did see some re-releases when theaters were opening back up but very few new movies were coming out, and then there have been random ones after that. The Disney 100 campaign last year brought some re-releases. My theater didn't get them, bummer. They didn't go back, animation-wise, any further than BEAUTY AND THE BEAST. The UK, however, got a SNOW WHITE re-release. Lucky bastards...

Then we had LION KING earlier this summer, for its 30th anniversary. Now we're on NIGHTMARE again, and also HOCUS POCUS.

So...

SNOW WHITE and FANTASIA each had 8 re-releases in the span of six decades.

PINOCCHIO had 7 re-releases. BAMBI had 6. CINDERELLA and PETER PAN had 5. The number gets lower, the later the film.

NIGHTMARE, at 31, beat almost all of these. That's something.

But, I do think - even if these movies are available somewhere, be it on disc or Disney+ - Disney should do wide re-releases of the classics more often. A whole generation didn't get to see SNOW WHITE and CINDERELLA and such on the big screen, and I sure as hell would LOVE to, myself. And not for a one-night only screening that isn't in my state, I mean a wide release...

Well let's see... 2025's coming... PINOCCHIO and FANTASIA turn 85, CINDERELLA turns 75, LADY AND THE TRAMP turns 70, ARISTOCATS turns 55, EMPEROR'S NEW GROOVE turns 25, you get the idea-

[kwebtv]

TV Guide  -  October 10 - 16, 1964

Gig Young (born Byron Elsworth Barr; November 4, 1913 – October 19, 1978) Film and television actor.

During the 1950′s he appeared on shows like The Silver Theater,  Pulitzer Prize Playhouse, The Bigelow Theatre, Robert Montgomery Presents, Schlitz Playhouse of Stars, Producers' Showcase, Lux Video Theatre, Warner Brothers Presents, The United States Steel Hour, Climax!, Studio One, Goodyear Theatre, The Twilight Zone (Episode: "Walking Distance") and  Shirley Temple's Storybook.  

 On the 1964–65 NBC series The Rogues, he shared appearances on a rotating basis with David Niven and Charles Boyer. It was one of Young's favorite roles.  He later said, "I loved it, the public loved it, only NBC didn't love it."  (Wikipedia)

Charles Boyer (French: [bwaje]; August 28, 1899 – August 26, 1978) Film, stage and television actor who appeared in more than 80 films between 1920 and 1976.  

Boyer moved into television as one of the pioneering producers and stars of the anthology show Four Star Playhouse (1952–56). It was made by Four Star Productions which would make Boyer and partners David Niven and Dick Powell rich.

In 1956, Boyer was a guest star on I Love Lucy.   On March 17, 1957, Boyer starred in an adaptation for TV of the Pulitzer Prize-winning play, There Shall Be No Night, by Robert E. Sherwood. The performance starred Katharine Cornell, and was broadcast on NBC as part of the Hallmark Hall of Fame.

Boyer was reunited with David Niven in The Rogues (1964–65), a television series also starring Gig Young. Niven, Boyer and Young revolved from week to week as the episode's leading man, sometimes appearing together, although most episodes wound up being helmed by Young since both Niven and Boyer had flourishing movie careers.  (Wikipedia)

Lieutenant Colonel James David Graham Niven (/ˈnɪv��n/; March 1, 1910 – July 29, 1983) Film and television actor, soldier, memoirist, and novelist.   He appeared in many shows for television and nearly 100 films.

He appeared several times on various short-drama shows and was one of the "four stars" of the dramatic anthology series Four Star Playhouse, appearing in 33 episodes. The show was produced by Four Star Television, which was co-owned and founded by Niven, Ida Lupino, Dick Powell and Charles Boyer. The show ended in 1955, but Four Star TV became a highly successful TV production company.

In 1959, he became the host of his own TV drama series, The David Niven Show, which ran for 13 episodes that summer.

In 1964, Charles Boyer, Gig Young and top-billed Niven appeared in the Four Star series The Rogues. Niven played Alexander 'Alec' Fleming, one of a family of retired con-artists who now fleece villains in the interests of justice. This was his only recurring role on television, and the series was originally set up to more or less revolve between the three leads in various combinations (one-lead, two-lead and three-lead episodes), although the least otherwise busy Gig Young wound up carrying most of the series. The Rogues ran for only one season, but won a Golden Globe award and currently remains a cult favourite.  (Wikipedia)

[nerendus]

Okay, under the button since it's like almost two hundred movies, but I want to start making some progress on watching these films, but despite it being two hundred, my brain says that it is still a small list, so I am once again looking for more movie recs. 🙇

1. Requiem for a Dream

2. Pacific Rim

3. War Games

4. Sharp Objects (2018) dir. Jean-Marc Vallée

5. Les soeurs Brontë (1979)  

6. Crimes of the Future

7. Videodrome

8. Jackass

9. Novitiate (2017)

10. The Sons of Katie Elder

11. El Dorado

12. Raw Deal

13. The Running Man (arnold)

14. The Mist

15. Black Mountain Side

16. In The Mouth of Madness

17. The Fifth Element

18. The Many Saints of Newark (will watch show first)

19. James Bond series

20. Resident Evil (seven thousandth watch)

21. The Boy and the Heron

22. Moulin Rouge

23. Bill and Ted (second watch)

24. The Day The Earth Stood Still

25. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 

26. Jurassic Park (second watch)

27. Robocop

28. The Perks of Being a Wallflower

29. The Boondock Saints

30. Legally Blonde (second watch)

31. The Fog (second watch)

32. Llamageddon 

33. Hellraiser

34. Candyman

35. Shaun of The Dead (second watch)

36. Scarface

37. The Shawshank Redemption

38. Ghost in The Shell

39. No Country for Old Men

40. Kill Bill series

41. The Wolf of Wall Street

42. Watchmen

43. Lone Wolf and Cub series

44. Last Night in Soho

45. Throne of Blood

46. Fargo

47. Hereditary

48. David Lynch:: The Art Life

49. Wayne's World series

50. I Am Legend (second watch)

51. Grease 

52. Good Will Hunting

53. The VVitch

54. Leatherface

55. Fantastic Planet

56. Blue Velvet

57. Pulp Fiction (second watch)

58. Twister (second watch)

59. Donnie Darko (second watch)

60. Tales from Earthsea

61. The Secret World of Arrietty

62. Late Spring (1949)

63. From Up on Poppy Hill

64. Rashomon

65. Intermezzo

66. Casablanca

67. When Marnie Was There

68. The Wind Rises

69. The Tale of Princess Kaguya

70. I Married a Witch

71. David Bowie: The Last Five Years

72. Vampyr

73. Kill Boksoon

74. Glass Onion series

75. The Wonder (2022)

76. Hook (1991) (second watch)

77. Time Trap

78. The Yin Yang Master

79. Hold The Dark

80. All Quiet on the Western Front

81. The Cloverfield Paradox

82. Reservoir Dogs

83. Spider-man (2002)

84. The Karate Kid series

85. Unknown Cosmic Time Machine

86. The Good Nurse (2022)

87. What Did Jack Do?

88. Banyuki

89. Amina (2021)

90. The Colony (2021)

91. Cities of Last Things

92. The Metamorphosis of Birds

93. The Mirror (andrei)

94. Andrei Rublev

95. Nostalgia (andrei)

96. The Sacrifice (andrei)

97. Ivan's Childhood (andrei)

98. The Steamroller and Violin (andrei)

99. Sunset Blvd (1950)

100. Ikiru (1952)

101. Seven Samurai (1954)

102. Citizen Kane

103. Dr. Strangelove

104. La La Land (2016)

105. Noriko's Dinner Table

106. The Godfather

107. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

108. The Good The Bad The Ugly

109. Mad Max Fury Road

110. Goodfellas

111. Indiana Jones series

112. Fight Club

113. Galaxy Quest

114. Dunkirk

115. Groundhog Day

116. Star Trek movies

117. Full Metal Jacket

118. Pink Floyd: The Wall

119. Naked Lunch

120. The Iron Giant

121. Chinatown (1974)

122. Minority Report

123. Velvet Goldmine

124. Dogma

125. To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newma

126. The Prestige

127. Annie Hall

128. Taxi Driver

129. Dead Poets Society

130. The Matrix

131. The Green Mile

132. Django Unchained

133. Your Name

134. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

135. Inland Empire

136. The Elephant Man

137. Lost Highway

138. Woman in the Dunes

139. Meshes of an Afternoon

140. Tokyo  Decadence 

141. Limbo (1999)

142. Maps to the Stars

143. The Machinist

144. Under the Silver Lake

145. The Northman

146. Kingdom of Heaven

147. The Grand Budapest Hotel

148. The Revenant (alejandro)

149. A Clockwork Orange

150. Incendies

151. Apocalypse Now

152. Knight of Cups

153. Once Upon a Time in America

154. Valhalla Rising

155. Inception

156. Interview with a Vampire

157. But I'm a Cheerleader

158. Angels in America

159. Pan's Labyrinth 

160. Clue

161. Asteroid City

162. Anastasia

163. Jo jo rabbit

164. Fantastic Mr. Fox

165. Rambo

166. Mission Impossible 

167. Suspiria

168. Jarhead

169. Macbeth

170. Mishima: A Life In Four Chapters 

171. Visions of Ecstasy

172. The Handmaiden (2016)

173. The Fly (cronenberg)

174. Dead Ringers

175. Tenet

176. Sicario

177. Vanishing on 7th Street

178. Invasion of the Body Snatchers

179. Gladiator

180. Once Upon a Time in the West

181. Children of the Corn

182. The Revenant 2016

183. Transformers series

184. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance

185. Gaslight (1944)

186. The Road

187. Vesper

188. The Hills Have Eyes

189. Tentacles

190. Die Hard series 

191. Freddy Got Fingered

192. The Day After Tomorrow 

193. The Song of the Scarlet Flower (Teuvo Tulio, 1938)

194. Jane Eyre

195. Northanger Abbey (2007) 

196. Lady Chatterley`s Lover (2015)

197. LA COLLECTIONNEUSE (1967) dir. Éric Rohmer

198. The Lion In Winter