#Category 1946 films

[courseyoulovemeyoudontknowme]

Avanti a lui tremava tutta Roma (1946, Carmine Gallone)

14/05/2024

[disney-is-mylife]

Your list of Disney genres sounds very interesting

I'M SO GLAD YOU ASKED

(fair warning: I am Bad at Making Graphs, so I'm literally gonna just type out the lists. Hopefully, it'll make some sense shbdgvdf)

OKAY SO

The 61 (so far) of the Walt Disney Animation Studios feature films can be split into 5 major categories:

Animals (20 films)

Princess (14 films)

General Fantasy (11 films)

Sci-Fi (8 films)

Package (8 films)

~~~~~

Tier 1 - Package:

We start the list with the film that encapsulates several genres, but with an emphasis on music:

Fantasia (1940)

Fantasia 2000 (1999/2000)

Then, we morph into more story features, with music still being the focus:

Make Mine Music (1946)

Melody Time (1948)

and then it becomes more "proper" feature-length, only split into two:

Fun & Fancy Free (1947)

The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (1949)

and finally, a bit of a wild card, but we delve into "societies" and fully bipedal anthropomorphic characters with Donald, José, and later, Panchito:

Saludos Amigos (1943)

The Three Caballeros (1945)

From there, we drop down to our biggest category:

~~~~~

Tier 2 - Animals:

There are 20 Disney films that are solidly Animal films, which makes up a THIRD of Disney's line-up. The three major sub-categories are:

Animal Society

Domesticated/Trained Animals

Wild Animals

Jumping down The Three Caballeros in Tier 1, we start with movies with a fully Animal Society, with zero humans:

Zootopia (2016)

Chicken Little (2005)

Robin Hood (1973)

then it blends more into human society, but with a still distinct hidden animal society that wears clothes and walk like humans:

The Great Mouse Detective (1986)

The Rescuers (1977)

The Rescuers Down Under (1990)

We then go into the Domesticated Animal category, with The Aristocats as the "bridge," since it features animals that wear clothes and play instruments lol:

The Aristocats (1970)

101 Dalmatians (1961)

Lady and the Tramp (1955)

Oliver & Company (1988)

Bolt (2008)

Home on the Range (2004)

Dumbo (1941)

The Fox and the Hound (1981)

The last one is another "bridge," this time to Wild Animals, which is split more or less evenly between "with humans" and "no humans":

Brother Bear (2003)

Tarzan (1999)

The Jungle Book (1967)

Bambi (1942)

The Lion King (1994)

Dinosaur (2000)

Now, let's go back to Brother Bear and drop down to:

~~~~~

Tier 3 - General Fantasy

This category is bit harder to split, but in essence:

Children's Lit

NOT Children's Lit (lol)

Okay, so, let me go down the list to see if it makes sense:

With Brother Bear as our drop-down from Tier 2, we start our list with mythological settings (the "NOT Children's Lit," if you will), starting with another arrogant youth who is unwittingly transformed into an animal, then classic mythology:

The Emperor's New Groove (2000)

Hercules (1997)

Which then leads to more "grounded" fantasy, but still fairly "mature" audiences:

Encanto (2021)

The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996)

and then deeper into medieval style...

The Black Cauldron (1985)

The Sword in the Stone (1963)

except now, with Sword in the Stone as the "bridge," we're officially in "Children's Lit" territory, with a focus on British Lit:

Pinocchio (1940)

Alice in Wonderland (1951)

Peter Pan (1953)

slowly becoming more and more dreamlike, until we reach the "wonderful world of make-believe" with our friends in the Hundred Acre Wood:

The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977)

Winnie the Pooh (2011)

Now, let's go back to the start of this tier, Emperor's New Groove, and drop-down to another "royal turned into an animal for a lesson" with....

~~~~~

Tier 4 -Princess:

Okay, first context: I know there's some debate on which Princess films "count," but for this list's sake, here are the ones I'm counting:

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)

Cinderella (1950)

Sleeping Beauty (1959)

The Little Mermaid (1989)

Beauty and the Beast (1991)

Aladdin (1992)

Pocahontas (1995)

Mulan (1998)

The Princess and the Frog (2009)

Tangled (2010)

Frozen (2013)

Moana (2016)

Frozen 2 (2019)

Raya and the Last Dragon (2020)

(Remember, this is ONLY including WDAS, so Brave doesn't count here. Moving on.)

Of the fourteen films, there are four sub-categories:

Prince/Princess (3)

Prince/Peasant Girl (3)

Princess/Peasant Boy (technically 4, counting Frozen 2)

Technically Not a Princess (4)

Now, that said, how do these categories work with my "drop-down" point from Emperor's New Groove? Well, we start with Prince/Peasant Girl first with:

The Princess and the Frog

Beauty and the Beast

Cinderella

All three had direct enchantment lead to their romances, to varying degrees, starting with genuine transformations to merely a magic dress and coach. But naturally, so did others, which takes us to our Prince/Princess pairings, starting with the OG:

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

Sleeping Beauty

The Little Mermaid

Now, we switch things up and go to the "Technically Not a Princess" category, jumping off the ocean theme to:

Moana

Raya and the Last Dragon

Mulan

Pocahontas

leading lastly to Princess/Peasant Boy:

Aladdin

Tangled

Frozen

Frozen 2

And as it so happens, the Frozen films are the only "official" princesses who turn into queens..... which drops-down into a largely forgotten film with another Disney princess-turned-queen:

~~~~~

Tier 5 - Sci-Fi

Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001)

from there, we travels to other worlds, with some familiarity of our world,

Strange World (2022)

Treasure Planet (2002)

Lilo & Stitch (2002)

to our futuristic worlds,

Meet the Robinsons (2007)

Big Hero 6 (2014)

and finally, a "hidden" world within our own:

Wreck-It Ralph (2012)

Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018)

~~~~~

So! There you have it! I wish I had graph making skills to make this easier to understand lol ^^"

[norashelley]

2023 recap

tagged by @grusinskayas, thanks so much mari! <3 I'll tag @nitrateglow @oftwodarkmoons @valancystirling48 @lilbabylovergirl @jwclapton @nataliawoods @olivethomas @ritahayworrth @emmybrown @gayworths @astonishinglysane @womansfilm @davisbette @daniellesdarrieux only if you want to of course! and anyone else who wants to do this please do! (and tag me!) Only including things that were new to me this year in each category or the lists would be far too long!

top films: I just did the 9 favorite first watches post which were, -The Dream Lady (1918) -Danger Love at Work (1937) -The Cowboy and the Lady (1938) - Pillow to Post (1945) - Home Sweet Homicide (1946) -Turn the Key Softly (1953) - Minari (2020) -Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris (2022) -Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022)

and I will add some more on to that as well! -Husband Hunters (1927) -Sunny (1930) -Honeymoon Limited (1935) -East Side of Heaven (1939) -Spring Parade (1940) -The Face Behind the Mask (1941) -Marriage is a Private Affair (1944) -This Happy Breed (1944) -Guest Wife (1945) -Molly and Me (1945) -The Wicked Lady (1945) -An Ideal Husband (1947) -Deep Valley (1947) -Night Tide (1961) -The Glass Bottom Boat (1966) -The Grass Harp (1995) -Luca (2021)

top tv series: I have such a hard time remembering what tv shows I watch throughout the year as I don't keep track of them the way I do movies but this is encouraging me to start making lists from now on.

From what I can remember - -All Creatures Great and Small -Sanditon -The Great Canadian Baking Show -The Tenant of Wildfell Hall -Only Murders in the Building -It's a Living -Call The Midwife top books: Did not read much this year and hardly anything new but here are a few I liked!

-The Surgeon's Daughter, Audrey Blake -The Leavenworth Case, Anna Katharine Green -The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, Anne Brontë -The Secret Book of Flora Lea, Patti Callahan Henry

favorite song: This is going to be a long section!

Firstly my pride and joy, the playlist of expressing love of nature through music (mostly folk music but some others mixed in) that I worked so hard on at the beginning of the year. A lot of it is not new to me songs but some of it is and mostly making a playlist is new to me. Flower, Flower Oh My Love Playlist. Now for some individual songs I discovered and loved throughout the year~ (choosing max of one song per artist that is also not included in my playlist or this will get way too long)

-Alvvays - Pecking Order -Aurora - Your Blood -Blackbriar - Fairy of the Bog -Cécile Corbel - Come Back Home -chirinuruwowaka - bakenokawa -Coco - Fantasy -hemlocke springs - sever the blight  -Laufey - Bewitched -MARINA - Man's World -Maxine Sullivan - Skylark -Mylène Farmer - Sans contrefaçon -Paramore - This Is Why -Pomme - La rivière -Ruby Throat- In the Arms of Flowers -yanaginagi - More Than Enough -Yutori - One Room

favorite quote: - "listen, this would be a better world if there was more singing and less dictating." - East Side of Heaven, 1939

-"When all inside you burns like a star It's after you burn out that you are Reborn again, reborn again

And maybe if you called out for help Then I could help you outrun yourself Come run again, we'll run again" - Your Blood, Aurora

[fairfieldthinkspace]

William Wyler: A Master Filmmaker Revisited

By Jay Rozgonyi

Associate Vice Provost for Pedagogical Innovation & Effectiveness

Director, Center for Academic Excellence

Instructor of both Educational Technology and Film Studies

How about this for a great Final Jeopardy question under the category The Oscars: “He’s the Hollywood director with the most Best Director nominations (12), the most Best Picture nominations (13), and the most acting nominations in his films (36).” Pretty good, I’d say. But chances are that the question will never be used—not because I’m not a staff writer for the show, but also because the answer would likely be considered too hard for most contestants, even serious film fans.

That they wouldn’t be able to name William Wyler is unfortunate, as he was one of the truly great filmmakers of the 20th century. A lot of his movies are well known: Wuthering Heights, Ben-Hur, Roman Holiday, Mrs. Miniver, The Best Years of Our Lives, Funny Girl… I could go on and on. But unlike Alfred Hitchcock and suspense, or John Ford and Westerns, Wyler didn’t focus on a particular genre; instead—as the list of films I just mentioned demonstrates—he moved from comedy to drama to romance to historical epic. Because of that, he was brushed aside by the critics of the 1960s and 1970s, who considered him a gifted Hollywood studio director but thought that he lacked a coherent artistic vision. In fact, Wyler’s highly diverse output was the result of a quest for innovation and a desire to challenge himself by always trying something new throughout a career that lasted nearly 50 years.

If you Google William Wyler filmmaking style, you’ll learn about the way he carefully composed his shots, staggered his actors from deep in the frame to extremely close up, and staged dialogue scenes with few cuts so all the characters are visible at the same time—all directorial techniques that demonstrate his meticulous craftsmanship. I see another element to his films, however, which hasn’t received much attention at all: a steadfast attention to social justice and basic human morality. Once you look for these themes, it’s as easy to spot as his striking camera setups and his precise use of light and shadow. Wyler’s firm sense of conscience comes out in the nuances of his stories and the characters who inhabit them, and in the subtle ways they speak to the issues of their respective days. We see it in 1937’s Dead End, where the Depression has left families broken and juveniles with little sense of hope for their future. We see it in 1946’s The Best Years of Our Lives, where GIs returning from World War II confront a home front that seems to have moved beyond them and their sacrifices, and toward a future focused on making money and assailing anyone who might be a “Commie.” And we see it in 1970’s The Liberation of L.B. Jones, Wyler’s last film and in many ways his most courageous—a brutally honest look at racism in America and the dehumanization it brings upon us all. 

Over the course of 2024, Fairfield University is celebrating the career of William Wyler with an undergraduate course devoted to his work, a series of film screenings at the Fairfield Bookstore on the Post Road, and an exhibition of materials from his private collection titled William Wyler: Master Filmmaker, Man of Conscience, which will be on display at the DiMenna-Nyselius Library from September through December. We’re just a few years away from the 125th anniversary of Wyler’s birth in 1902, so this seems like a good time for a lot more people to get acquainted with the man and his films. Then, perhaps, by 2027, the Final Jeopardyanswer might even be too easy for contestants to ponder. Wouldn’t that be nice?

Fairfield University’s celebration of the life and work of William Wyler would not be possible without the generous support of his daughters, Catherine and Melanie Wyler. We thank them for all that they’ve done to enable us to share their father’s work with our community.

The following movie screenings will be open to the public at 6:30 p.m. on these dates at the Fairfield University Downtown Bookstore, located at 1499 Post Road, Fairfield, Conn.:

April 9: The Best Years of Our Lives (1946); guests: Melanie Wyler (in person) and Catherine Wyler (via Zoom).

October 1: The Desperate Hours (1955); guests: Melanie Wyler (in person) and Catherine Wyler (via Zoom); other Wyler family members may attend via Zoom.

November 19: The Liberation of L.B. Jones(1970); guests: Melanie Wyler (in person) and Catherine Wyler (via Zoom); other Wyler family members may attend via Zoom.

[dweemeister]

The complete list of films featured on this blog’s 2024 “31 Days of Oscar” marathon

Hello everyone,

Thank you once more for allowing me to present this annual marathon of Oscar-nominated films to your dashboards. This year, the films were grouped by category (for the most part, one day featured only films nominated in a particular category). This is the most exclusive period on this blog, as the selection of films that I can post and queue about is at its most limited. But at the same time, the blog is at its most accessible as this yearly marathon’s selection skews to more popular fare than what I usually queue. I hope you enjoyed this year’s presentation of 31 Days of Oscar once more!

What follows is the exhaustive list of all 381 short- and feature-length films featured on this blog over the last thirty-one days for the 31 Days of Oscar marathon. This is down from 2022’s record of 420. But that count remains only a fraction of the 5,145 films that have been nominated for Academy Awards since 1927 (excluding Honorary Oscar winners that weren't nominated in a competitive category).

Of those 382, 28 were short films (53 short films is the record, which was set in 2022). 354 were feature films.

BREAKDOWN BY DECADE 1927-1929: 10 1930s: 51 1940s: 54 1950s: 44 1960s: 42 1970s: 26 1980s: 26 1990s: 23 2000s: 26 2010s: 26 2020s: 54

TOTAL: 382 (380 last year)

Year with most representation (2023 excluded): 1938 and 1942 (9 films each) Median year: 1966

Time for the list. 59 Best Picture winners and the one (and only) winner for Unique and Artistic Production that I featured this year are in bold. Asterisked (*) films are films I haven’t seen in their entirety as of the publishing of this post. Films primarily not in the English language are accompanied with their nation(s) of origin.

The ten Best Picture nominees for the 96th Academy Awards, including the winner, Oppenheimer (2023)

The fifteen nominees in the short film categories for the 96th Academy Awards

À nous la liberté (1931, France)

The Adventures of Don Juan (1938)*

The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)

Albert Schweitzer (1957)*

Alexander’s Ragtime Band (1938)

Alice Adams (1935)*

Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974)*

Aliens (1986)

All About Eve (1950)

All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)

All That Jazz (1979)*

Amadeus (1984)

Amarcord (1973, Italy)

An American in Paris (1951)

An American Werewolf in London (1981)*

Anatomy of a Murder (1959)

Anne of the Thousand Days (1969)*

The Apartment (1960)

Aquamania (1961 short)

Autumn Sonata (1978, Sweden)

Avatar (2009)

Avatar: The Way of Water (2022)

The Awful Truth (1937)

The Bad and the Beautiful (1952)

Bad Day at Black Rock (1955)

The Band Wagon (1953)

The Barefoot Contessa (1954)

Batman (1989)

Beauty and the Beast (1991)

Becket (1964)*

Before the Rain (1993, Macedonia)*

Ben-Hur (1959)

The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)

Bicycle Thieves (1948, Italy)

The Big Country (1958)

The Big House (1930)

Black Narcissus (1947)

The Black Swan (1942)

BlacKkKlansman (2018)

Blazing Saddles (1974)

Blue Valentine (2010)*

Bonnie and Clyde (1967)

Born Yesterday (1950)*

The Boy and the Heron (2023, Japan)

Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992)*

Braveheart (1995)

Brief Encounter (1945)

Brigadoon (1954)

Bullitt (1968)

Butterflies Are Free (1972)*

Cabaret (1972)

Caged (1950)

The Caine Mutiny (1954)

Can You Ever Forgive Me? (2018)

Captain Blood (1935)

Casablanca (1942)

Cavalcade (1933)

Chico and Rita (2010, Spain)

Children of a Lesser God (1986)

The Children of Theatre Street (1977)*

Cimarron (1931)

The Circus (1928)

Citizen Kane (1941)

Cleopatra (1963)

A Clockwork Orange (1971)

CODA (2021)

The Color Purple (1985)

Come and Get It (1936)*

Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt (1989)*

El Conde (2023, Chile)*

Cool Hand Luke (1967)

The Country Girl (1954)*

Cries and Whispers (1972, Sweden)*

Crossfire (1947)

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000, Taiwan)

The Crowd (1928)

Dances with Wolves (1990)

Dangerous (1935)*

Days of Waiting (1991 short)*

The Deer Hunter (1978)

The Departed (2006)

Desert Victory (1942)*

Disraeli (1929)*

The Divine Lady (1929)*

Doctor Zhivago (1965)

Dodsworth (1936)

Double Indemnity (1944)

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1932)

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1941)

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Mouse (1947 short)

Drive My Car (2021, Japan)

Driving Miss Daisy (1989)

Dune (2021)

8½ (1963, Italy)

Elemental (2023)

The Elephant Whisperers (2022 short, India)

Elmer Gantry (1960)

Emma (1932)*

The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

Encanto (2021)

The English Patient (1996)

Ernest & Celestine (2012, Belgium/France/Luxembourg)

The Eternal Memory (2023, Chile)

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)*

Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022)

Fantastic Voyage (1966)

Far From Heaven (2002)*

A Farewell to Arms (1932)

Fiddler on the Roof (1971)

The Firemen’s Ball (1967, Czechoslovakia)*

Five Star Final (1931)*

Flee (2021, Denmark)

Flower Drum Song (1961)

For All Mankind (1989)

Forbidden Planet (1956)

Foreign Correspondent (1940)

Forrest Gump (1994)

42nd Street (1933)

Four Daughters (1938)*

Four Daughters (2023, France/Germany/Tunisia/Saudi Arabia)*

Freedom on My Mind (1994)

Frida (2002)*

The Front Page (1931)*

Funny Girl (1968)

Gandhi (1982)

Gaslight (1944)

Gentleman’s Agreement (1947)

Giant (1956)

Gladiator (2000)

The Godfather (1972)

The Godfather Part II (1974)

Godzilla Minus One (2023)

Gold Diggers of 1933 (1933)

Goldfinger (1964)

Gone with the Wind (1939)

The Goodbye Girl (1977)

Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1939)

Gosford Park (2001)

Grand Prix (1966)

The Grandmaster (2013, Hong Kong/China)*

The Grapes of Wrath (1940)

The Great Dictator (1940)

Great Expectations (1946)*

The Great Race (1965)

Green Dolphin Street (1947)*

Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (1967)

Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957)

Gypsy (1962)*

Hamlet (1948)

The Heiress (1949)

Henry V (1944)

Henry V (1989)

Hercules (1997)

Here Come the Waves (1945)*

High Noon (1952)

How Green Was My Valley (1941)

How the West Was Won (1962)

How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (2019)

The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939)

The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the WIndow and Disappeared (2013, Sweden/France Germany)

The Hurt Locker (2008)

If Anything Happens I Love You (2020 short)

In America (2003)*

In the Heat of the Night (1967)

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023)

The Informer (1935)

Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion (1970, Italy)*

Io Capitano (2023, Italy)*

It Happened One Night (1934)

JFK (1991)*

Juno (2007)

Kung Fu Panda (2008)

Lady for a Day (1933)

The Last Command (1927)

The Last Emperor (1987)

The Last Picture Show (1971)

Laura (1944)

Lawrence of Arabia (1962)

A Letter to Three Wives (1949)

Life Is Beautiful (1997, Italy)

Lilies of the Field (1963)

Lincoln (2012)

The Little Foxes (1941)*

Lolita (1962)

The Longest Day (1962)

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)

The Lost Weekend (1945)

Love Affair (1939)*

The Love Parade (1929)

Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing (1955)

Loving Vincent (2017)

Lust for Life (1956)

The Magnificent Ambersons (1942)

Malcolm X (1992)

A Man for All Seasons (1966)

The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956)

The Man Who Skied Down Everest (1975)

March of the Penguins (2005, France)

Marie Antoinette (1938)*

Marty (1955)

Mary Poppins (1964)

Meet Me in St. Louis (1944)

Merrily We Live (1938)*

The Merry Widow (1934)

Mickey’s Orphans (1931 short)

Midnight in Paris (2011)

Milk (2008)*

Million Dollar Baby (2004)

Minari (2020)

Miracle on 34th Street (1947)

The Miracle Worker (1962)*

Mogambo (1953)*

Moneyball (2011)*

Monsieur Hulot's Holiday (1953, France)

Monsieur Lazhar (2011, Canada)

Moonstruck (1987)*

The More the Merrier (1943)

Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936)

Mrs. Miniver (1942)

Munich (2005)*

The Music Man (1962)

My Fair Lady (1964)

My Man Godfrey (1936)*

Napoleon (2023)*

National Velvet (1944)

Naughty Marietta (1935)*

Network (1976)

Never on Sunday (1960, Greece)*

Nimona (2023)

No Country for Old Men (2007)

None But the Lonely Heart (1944)*

North by Northwest (1959)

Now, Voyager (1942)

The Nun’s Story (1959)

Odd Man Out (1947)*

On Golden Pond (1981)

On the Waterfront (1954)

Out of Africa (1985)

Papillon (1973)

Parasite (2019, South Korea)

A Passage to India (1984)*

Patton (1970)

Penny Serenade (1941)

Perfect Days (2023, Japan)*

Persepolis (2007, France)

Phantom Thread (2017)

The Philadelphia Story (1940)

Pillow Talk (1959)

Planet of the Apes (1968)

Platoon (1986)

Pollock (2000)*

Popeye the Sailor Meets Sindbad the Sailor (1936 short)

The Pride of the Yankees (1942)

The Prince of Egypt (1998)

The Prisoner of Zenda (1937)

The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex (1939)*

The Public Enemy (1931)

Pulp Fiction (1994)

Pygmalion (1938)

Quo Vadis (1951)

The Quiet Man (1952)

Raging Bull (1980)

Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

Rain Man (1988)

Raintree County (1957)*

Random Harvest (1942)

Rashômon (1950, Japan)

The Razor's Edge (1946)

Rebecca (1940)

Rejected (2000 short)

Return of the Jedi (1983)

Rhapsody in Rivets (1941 short)*

The Robe (1953)*

Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991)*

Robot Dreams (2023, Spain)

Rocky (1976)

Roma (2018, Mexico)

Roman Holiday (1953)

Room (2015)

Rustin (2023)*

Sadie Thompson (1928)*

Schindler's List (1993)

Searching for Sugar Man (2012)

Seconds (1966)*

Sergeant York (1941)

7 Faces of Dr. Lao (1964)

7th Heaven (1927)*

Shall We Dance (1937)

The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949)

The Shop on Main Street (1965, Czechoslovakia)

Silence (2016)*

The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

The Silent Child (2017 short)

The Sin of Madelon Claudet (1931)

Singin' in the Rain (1952)

The Sixth Sense (1999)*

Society of the Snow (2023, Spain)*

The Sound of Music (1965)

Spellbound (1945)

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023)

Spotlight (2015)

Stagecoach (1939)

A Star Is Born (1937)

A Star Is Born (1954)

Star Trek: First Contact (1996)

Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986)

Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1994)

Star Wars (1977)

Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015)

Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999)

Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (2005)

The Sting (1973)

La Strada (1954, Italy)

A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)

Strike Up the Band (1940)

Sun Valley Serenade (1941)

Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (1927)

Sunset Boulevard (1950)

Superman (1978)

Superman Returns (2006)

Suspicion (1941)

The Tale of the Princess Kaguya (2013, Japan)

A Tale of Two Cities (1935)*

The Teachers’ Lounge (2023, Germany)

Terms of Endearment (1983)

Test Pilot (1938)*

The Thief of Bagdad (1940)

The Thin Man (1934)

To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)

Tom Jones (1963)*

The Tragedy of Macbeth (2021)

The Triplets of Belleville (2003, France)

12 Angry Men (1957)

20 Days in Mariupol (2023, Ukraine)

2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

The Two Mouseketeers (1952 short)

Up (2009)

The Valley of Decision (1945)*

Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008)*

War Horse (2011)

West Side Story (1961)

Whiplash (2014)

The White Helmets (2016 short)

Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)

The Window (1949)*

Wings (1927)

Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too (1974 short)

Witness for the Prosecution (1957)

The Wizard of Oz (1939)

The Woman in Red (1984)*

Woman in the Dunes (1964, Japan)*

Written on the Wind (1956)*

Wuthering Heights (1939)

Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942)

You Can’t Take It with You (1938)

[beachboysnatural]

what old hollywood movie would you recommend me watching (i haven’t really seen any before so whats your favorite ig?? or which do you really like. idk feel free to infodump if you want though)

I'm so excited to answer this okay💞💞💞

So first off my number one recommendation is The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) which is my favorite movie and it is wonderful. If you like The Princess Bride you'll like this too. It's so good please watch it!!

I'm going to list a couple more but I'm gonna categorize them :D (but also as an aside some of these movies definitely have moments that are absolutely not okay but that you kind of have to filter out)

Comedies: It Happened One Night (1934) this movie defined the romcom and it is absolutely wonderful!! Top Hat (1935) not totally a comedy but like. Fred and Ginger Hands Across The Table (1935) I can't make a comedy category without including Carole Lombard! This movie is so sweet It's Love I'm After (1937) this movie deserves so much more praise it's great Bringing Up Baby (1938) HILARIOUS Four's A Crowd (1938) critically panned difficult to understand and a personal favorite of mine Holiday (1938) this movie makes me sad but it's also funny so idk. Hepburn and Grant what more do you need The Philadelphia Story (1940) LOVE!!!!!!!!!!!!! The Lady Eve (1941) I don't remember it very well but I remember really enjoying it, especially the first hour! Arsenic and Old Lace (1944) I just watched this and I adored it! Singin' in the Rain (1952) again it's a dance movie but it's so funny Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953) this movie is so much fun!!! Some Like It Hot (1959) if you watch one movie from this category let it be this one. You have GOT to watch it

Film Noir:* Double Indemnity (1944) I cannot say enough good things about this movie Laura (1944) spectacular wonderful you will be on the edge of your seat Leave Her to Heaven (1945) very unique for a noir but I really enjoyed it! The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946) John Garfield and Lana Turner and it's like good and stuff Gilda (1946) I don't remember the plot at all but Rita Hayworth is so attractive in this movie so if the plot is bad it does not matter Sorry, Wrong Number (1948) WONDERFUL performance from Barbara Stanwyck. Verrrrry tense Sunset Boulevard (1950) again if you watch one movie from this category it should be this one it's one of the best movies I have ever seen

*honorable mentions to Kirk Douglas for good performances that I really like in The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (1946) and Out of the Past (1947) which are both good movies but they're not my favorites

Drama/movies that make me really sad: Stella Dallas (1937) watched it with a friend, got home, and cried Four Daughters (1938) singlehandedly launched my John Garfield obsession and ruined my entire day Wuthering Heights (1939) apparently it's not accurate to the book but I adore this movie and cry every time Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1939) it's kind of boring but I couldn't function for like a day Waterloo Bridge (1940) when I rewatched it I started crying in the first five minutes so The Little Foxes (1941) tour de force from every single actor Now, Voyager (1942) rewired my brain Gaslight (1944) watch Ingrid Bergman act circles around everyone else ever for two hours The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) three hours of exploring PTSD but it is worth all of the tears I promise The Heiress (1949) three powerhouse actors and a great script and an amazing director!! This movie is AMAZING White Heat (1949) watch James Cagney act circles around everyone else in the movie for two hours All About Eve (1950) very similar to Sunset Boulevard but also different. I love this movie A Streetcar Named Desire (1951) changed my entire life Twelve Angry Men (1957) SPECTACULAR

Hitchcock: Rebecca (1940) wonderful showstopping great I love this movie Shadow of a Doubt (1943) godddd the family dynamics of this movie!!! The suspense!! The acting!!! Strangers on a Train (1951) sooo spooky but sooo good Rear Window (1954) a classic it's very suspenseful you'll love it Vertigo (1958) my best friend my favorite my dearest dear. Truly one of the best movies I have ever seen in my entire life North By Northwest (1959) Cary Grant in yet another situation and it is so fucking good

[cinema-tv-etc]

Film noir; French: [film nwaʁ]) is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and motivations. The 1940s and 1950s are generally regarded as the "classic period" of American film noir. Film noir of this era is associated with a low-key, black-and-white visual style that has roots in German Expressionist cinematography. Many of the prototypical stories and much of the attitude of classic noir derive from the hardboiled school of crime fiction that emerged in the United States during the Great Depression.

The term film noir, French for 'black film' (literal) or 'dark film' (closer meaning), was first applied to Hollywood films by French critic Nino Frank in 1946, but was unrecognized by most American film industry professionals of that era. Frank is believed to have been inspired by the French literary publishing imprint Série noire, founded in 1945.

Cinema historians and critics defined the category retrospectively. Before the notion was widely adopted in the 1970s, many of the classic films noir were referred to as "melodramas". Whether film noir qualifies as a distinct genre or whether it is more of a filmmaking style is a matter of ongoing and heavy debate among scholars. Film noir encompasses a range of plots: the central figure may be a private investigator (The Big Sleep), a plainclothes police officer (The Big Heat), an aging boxer (The Set-Up), a hapless grifter (Night and the City), a law-abiding citizen lured into a life of crime (Gun Crazy), a femme fatale (Gilda) or simply a victim of circumstance (D.O.A.). Although film noir was originally associated with American productions, the term has been used to describe films from around the world. Many films released from the 1960s onward share attributes with films noir of the classical period, and often treat its conventions self-referentially. Some refer to such latter-day works as neo-noir. The clichés of film noir have inspired parody since the mid-1940s.

[astonishinglysane]

2023 Recap

Tagged by @norashelley — thank you! Finally getting around to this even though 2023 already seems like it was a thousand years ago. If @missanthropicprinciple or anyone else who sees this wants to do it, please do!

I’m only including new-to-me things although I did revisit old favorites in almost every category.

Top Films:

Marty (1955)

RRR (2022)

All That Jazz (1979)

Nomadland (2020)

The Father (2020)

Oppenheimer (2023)

Maestro (2023)

Kiss of the Spider Woman (1985)

The Fabelmans (2022)

The Ox-Bow Incident (1946)

Top TV Series:

I didn’t keep track of my TV viewing the way I did movies, so I feel like I’m probably forgetting something here. A lot of the stuff I watched was disappointing, but I really liked:

Only Murders in the Building

Poker Face

Loki

Top Books:

I read almost 70 books last year and unfortunately most of them were fine but not blow-my-socks-off amazing. I usually read primarily fiction but I read a lot of good non-fiction this year.

The Core of the Sun (Johanna Sinisalo)

The Art of Fielding (Chad Harbach)

Last Train to Memphis: The Rise of Elvis Presley and Careless Love: The Unmaking of Elvis Presley (Peter Guralnick)

Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI (David Grann)

A Prayer for Owen Meany (John Irving)

Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell (Susanna Clarke)

How Far the Light Reaches: A Life in Ten Sea Creatures (Sabrina Imbler)

King: A Life (Jonathan Eig)

Favorite Song:

Although there were quite a few new songs that caught my ear this year, for this category I’m going to list songs that I put on repeat at different points this year, even though they are old favorites. I’m sure I’m forgetting some because I mostly do this while I’m driving.

Never Too Much (Luther Vandross)

Sparks (Rocky Votolato)

God Only Knows (The Beach Boys)

Your Love is Killing Me (Sharon Van Etten)

Bottle Up and Explode! (Elliott Smith)

The Light and the Sound (Rocky Votolato)

Favorite Quote:

I’m not really sure what to put for this, but 2023 started with my husband and I both getting COVID (very mild cases, thankfully — thank you, vaccine) and toward the end of the year he was hospitalized for a week with FLESH-EATING DISEASE (he is 100% fine now), so I will say that the “I lived bitch” meme was referenced a lot in this household throughout the year.

[byneddiedingo]

John Wayne and Montgomery Clift in Red River (Howard Hawks, 1948)

Cast: John Wayne, Montgomery Clift, Joanne Dru, Walter Brennan, Colleen Gray, Harry Carey, John Ireland, Noah Beery Jr., Harry Carey Jr., Chief Yowlatchie, Paul Fix, Hank Worden. Screenplay: Borden Chase, Charles Schnee, based on a story by Chase. Cinematography: Russell Harlan. Art direction: John Datu. Film editing: Christian Nyby. Music: Dimitri Tiomkin.

You know those social media posts that ask you to name the movies you've watched more than five times that you would still watch again? I don't respond to them because there are too many movies that fit the category for me, but Red River would certainly be on my list. Each time I watch it, I have a little different reaction. Sometimes, for example, I'm glad when the character of Tess Millay (Joanne Dru) shows up, because it's kind of a relief from all that male bonding of the cattle drive. Other times, she annoys me. She's the "Hawksian woman" of the movie, the character embodied so well by Jean Arthur in Only Angels Have Wings (1939), Rosalind Russell in His Girl Friday (1940), and especially Lauren Bacall in To Have and Have Not (1944) and The Big Sleep (1946). The Hawksian woman talks back to men, asserting her place in the world they dominate. But Tess Millay just talks, and even talks about how much she talks. Moreover, she's obviously there primarily to serve as a reincarnation of Fen (Colleen Gray), the woman whom Tom Dunson (John Wayne) loved and lost when he left the wagon train at the beginning of the movie. Still, even this bit of unnecessary narrative linkage is forgivable in a movie that offers so much. There is, of course, what I think of as Wayne's best performance as Dunson -- some prefer his work in The Searchers (John Ford, 1956), which I find too artfully staged by Ford. Here he shows he can do everything from Hawks's characteristic swiftly overlapping dialogue to the paranoid trail-boss martinet to the tough guy hiding his tender side. And there's Montgomery Clift's remarkable movie debut as Matthew Garth; Red River was filmed before The Search (Fred Zinnemann, 1948), though the latter was released first. Clift, who was stage-trained, seems to have instinctively learned that movie acting is done in large part with the face, and he uses his eyes particularly expressively -- he reminds me of the great silent film actors in that regard. The scene in which Garth and Cherry Valance (John Ireland) handle each other's guns is one of the great homoerotic moments in movies, but it's prepared for by the way Clift and Ireland look at each other when they first meet, sizing each other up. And then there's one of the great supporting casts in movies, including Walter Brennan, Noah Beery Jr.,  and a whole lot of cattle. (Hawks, who also produced the film, graciously gave Arthur Rosson, the second unit director in charge of the cattle drive scenes, a co-director credit.) Dimitri Tiomkin's music added immeasurably to the film, but surprisingly went unnominated by the Academy, which took notice only of Christian Nyby for editing and Borden Chase for the film's story. (It was based on his story in the Saturday Evening Post, and was turned into a screenplay by Charles Schnee -- though a lot of the dialogue is so Hawksian that I suspect the director deserved a screenplay credit, too.) Naturally, like most Hawks films, it won no Oscars.

[hellostarrynightblr]

highlights of March

1. Favourite movies: it's the first time I'm not impressed with any film I've seen.... Most of them are just good or solid, but I'm sure I won't rewatch any of these. The closest one to this category is The Magnificent Seven (1960), a great film, just not a favourite of mine, just a clear standout among the rest. 2. Decent movies I liked / appreciated but not loved: I'm going to skip this one, otherwise I'll leave the rest of the films here. 3. wtf movie/ending: some moments of Elvis (2022). Tom Hanks in general, the editing, the music. Some of it is truly baffling. 4. Best scenes: the dance on the deck (Honolulu, 1939); dancing while changing clothes (Silk Stockings, 1957), taking the hearse to bury a guy / Britt's introduction / the final shootout (The Magnificent Seven, 1960). 5. Favourite genres: crime, drama, western. 6. Favourite directors: John Sturges (The Magnificent Seven, 1960). 7. Favourite actors: Michel Simon (Panique, 1946); Dennis O'Keefe (T-Men (1947), Austin Butler (Elvis, 2022); James Cagney ('G' Men, 1935); Cyd Charisse (Silk Stockings, 1957); Yul Brynner, Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson, James Coburn (The Magnificent Seven, 1960). 8. Least favourite performances: Fred Astaire (Silk Stockings, 1957). It's just awkward and... boring. Same, same, same... And Tom Hanks in Elvis (2022). That was just unbearable. 9. The most wasted cast: no one really. 10. The best wasted premise: O. Henry's Full House (1952). I like the idea of an anthology and I mostly like the films that use it, but this one is deeply boring. 11. Best premise: none of them? Again. But if I have to choose, then Panique (1946). 12. Favourite cast: The Magnificent Seven (1960). Yul Brynner, Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson, Robert Vaughn, Brad Dexter, James Coburn, Eli Wallach and even Horst Buchholz. 13. Favourite on-screen duos:  Yul Brynner x Steve McQueen (The Magnificent Seven, 1960). 14. Favourite on-screen relationships: none. 15. Favourite characters: Dennis O'Brien, a.k.a. Vannie Harrigan (T-Men (1947); Chris, Vin, Bernardo, Britt (The Magnificent Seven, 1960). 15. Favourite quote: I have been offered a lot for my work, but never everything. (The Magnificent Seven, 1960). 16. Favourite fact discovered in 2023: Yul Brynner and Steve McQueen had a feud on the set of The Magnificent Seven (1960). It didn't look like that to me, but then again, the film was supposed to be tense, so it might have helped. 17. The most overrated film: Elvis (2022). It's okay, it just has a lot of issues. 18. The most disappointing film: O. Henry's Full House (1952). I can barely remember anything about it. 19. The biggest surprise: T-Men (1947). 20. Best cinematography: Nicolas Hayer (Panique, 1946). 21. Best set design: Hugh Hunt, Edwin B. Willis (Silk Stockings, 1957). 22. Best costume design: Helen Rose (Silk Stockings, 1957). 23. Best music: Silk Stockings (1957). 24. Best prooduction choice: raising the stakes in T-Men (1947). 25. Worst production choice: the romance subplot in The Magnificent Seven (1960). I wish they'd either get rid of it or write it differently, with a bit more care. 26. Film of the month: The Magnificent Seven (1960).

[bensdesignerhut]

Western Beauty

Western wear is a category of men's and women's clothing which derives its unique style from the clothes worn in the 19th century Wild West. It ranges from accurate historical reproductions of American frontier clothing, to the stylized garments popularized by Western film and television or singing cowboys such as Gene Autry and Roy Rogers in the 1940s and 1950s. It continues to be a fashion choice in the West and Southwestern United States, as well as people associated with country music or Western lifestyles, for example the various Western or Regional Mexican music styles. Western wear typically incorporates one or more of the following, Western shirts with pearl snap fasteners and vaquero design accents, blue jeans, cowboy hat, a leather belt, and cowboy boots.

Hat

Lawman Bat Masterson wearing a bowler hat. In the early days of the Old West, it was the bowler hat rather than the slouch hat, centercrease (derived from the army regulation Hardee hat), or sombrero that was the most popular among cowboys as it was less likely to blow out off in the wind.The hats worn by Mexican rancheros and vaqueros inspired the modern day cowboy hats.By the 1870s, however, the Stetson had become the most popular cowboy hat due to its use by the Union Cavalry as an alternative to the regulation blue kepi.

Stampede strings were installed to prevent the hat from being blown off when riding at speed. These long strings were usually made from leather or horsehair. Typically, the string was run half-way around the crown of a cowboy hat, and then through a hole on each side with its ends knotted and then secured under the chin or around the back of the head keeping the hat in place in windy conditions or when riding a horse.

The tall white ten gallon hats traditionally worn by movie cowboys were of little use for the historical gunslinger as they made him an easy target, hence the preference of lawmen like Wild Bill Hickok, Wyatt Earp and Bat Masterson for low-crowned black hats.

Originally part of the traditional Plains Indian clothing, coonskin caps were frequently worn by mountain men like Davy Crockett for their warmth and durability. These were revived in the 1950s following the release of a popular Disney movie starring Fess Parker.

Shirt

1950s style Western shirt with snap fastenings of the type popularized by singing cowboys A Western shirt is a traditional item of Western wear characterized by a stylized yoke on the front and on the back. It is generally constructed of chambray, denim or tartan fabric with long sleeves, and in modern form is sometimes seen with snap pockets, patches made from bandana fabric, and fringe. The "Wild West" era was during the late Victorian era, hence the direct similarity of fashion.

A Western dress shirt is often elaborately decorated with piping, embroidered roses and a contrasting yoke. In the 1950s these were frequently worn by movie cowboys like Roy Rogers or Clayton Moore's Lone Ranger. Derived from the elaborate Mexican vaquero costumes like the guayabera, these were worn at rodeos so the cowboy could be easily identifiable. Buffalo Bill was known to wear them with a buckskin fringe jacket during his Wild West shows and they were fashionable for teenagers in the 1970s and late 2000s.

Another common type of Western shirt is the shield-front shirt worn by many US Cavalry troopers during the American Civil War but originally derived from a red shirt issued to prewar firefighters. The cavalry shirt was made of blue wool with yellow piping and brass buttons and was invented by the flamboyant George Armstrong Custer. In recent times this shield-front shirt was popularised by John Wayne in Fort Apache and was also worn by rockabilly musicians like the Stray Cats.

In 1946, Papa Jack Wilde put snap buttons on the front, and pocket flaps on the Western shirt, and established Rockmount Ranch Wear.

Coat When a jacket is required there is a wide choice available for both linedancers and historical re-enactors. Cowboy coats originated from charro suits and were passed down to the vaqueros who later introduced it to the american cowboys. These include frock coats, ponchos popularised by Clint Eastwood's Spaghetti Westerns, short Mexican jackets with silver embroidery, fringe jackets popular among outlaw country, southern rock and 1980s heavy metal bands, and duster coats derived from originals worn in the Wild West. More modern interpretations include leather waistcoats inspired by the biker subculture and jackets with a design imitating the piebald color of a cow. Women may wear bolero jackets derived from the Civil War era zouave uniforms, shawls, denim jackets in a color matching their skirt or dress, or a fringe jacket like Annie Oakley.

For more formal occasions inhabitants of the West might opt for a suit with "smile" pockets, piping and a yoke similar to that on the Western shirts. This can take the form of an Ike jacket, leisure suit or three-button sportcoat. Country and Western singer Johnny Cash was known to wear an all-black Western suit, in contrast to the elaborate Nudie suits worn by stars like Elvis Presley and Porter Wagoner.The most elaborate western wear is the custom work created by rodeo tailors such as Nudie Cohn and Manuel, which is characterized by elaborate embroidery and rhinestone decoration. This type of western wear, popularized by country music performers, is the origin of the phrase rhinestone cowboy.

Trousers

Cowboy wearing leather chaps at a rodeo

A Texas tuxedo comprising a denim jacket, boots and jeans. In the early days of the Wild West trousers were made out of wool. In summer canvas was sometimes used. This changed during the Gold Rush of the 1840s when denim overalls became popular among miners for their cheapness and breathability. Levi Strauss improved the design by adding copper rivets and by the 1870s this design was adopted by ranchers and cowboys. The original Levi's jeans were soon followed by other makers including Wrangler jeans and Lee Cooper. These were frequently accessorised with kippy belts featuring metal conchos and large belt buckles.

Leather chaps were often worn to protect the cowboy's legs from cactus spines and prevent the fabric from wearing out.Two common types include the skintight shotgun chaps and wide batwing chaps. The latter were sometimes made from hides retaining their hair (known as "woolies") rather than tanned leather. They appeared on the Great Plains somewhere around 1887.

Women wore knee-length prairie skirts,red or blue gingham dresses or suede fringed skirts derived from Native American dress. Saloon girls wore short red dresses with corsets, garter belts and stockings.After World War II, many women, returning to the home after working in the fields or factories while the men were overseas, began to wear jeans like the men.

Neckwear

Working cowboy wearing a bandana or "wild rag," 1880s During the Victorian era, gentlemen would wear silk cravats or neckties to add color to their otherwise sober black or grey attire. These continued to be worn by respectable Westerners until the early 20th century. Following the Civil War it became common practice among working class veterans to loosely tie a bandana around their necks to absorb sweat and keep the dust out of their faces. This practise originated in the Mexican War era regular army when troops threw away the hated leather stocks (a type of collar issued to soldiers) and replaced them with cheap paisley kerchiefs.

Another well-known Western accessory, the bolo tie, was a pioneer invention reputedly made from an expensive hatband. This was a favorite for gamblers and was quickly adopted by Mexican charros, together with the slim "Kentucky" style bowtie commonly seen on stereotypical Southern gentlemen like Colonel Sandersor Boss Hogg. In modern times it serves as formal wear in many western states, notably Montana, New Mexico

[inapat17]

Rising Above

For my last article, I'm going to tell you about a 4-minute film called Rising Above, released in 2023, which is available on the French and German channel Arte's website until next year. This animated film was directed by Natálie Durchánková, a contemporary Czech filmmaker who studied animation at FAMU (Film and Television School of the Academy of Performing Arts) one of Europe's most prestigious film schools which was founded in 1946 in Prague. This institution produced the animated movie and the conception of the project which lasted almost a year, under the direction of animation filmmaker Michaela Pavlátová.

The filmmaker is known for the success of her first film, released in 2021 called Love, Dad, which addresses family themes, parent-child relationships and the impact of letters from the past. Rising Above is part of an evolving trend in hybrid filmmaking, mixing elements of live action, documentary and film to vividly depict the victim's harrowing experience and subsequent empowerment. It is the first-person account of a sexual assault and attempted murder, followed by the difficult road to resilience. It is exploring the emotional complexities of overcoming trauma with a unique animated approach that adds a poetic layer to the story.

The opening sequence plunges us into the story of an aggression told by the main character and we discover her face through the reflection of her phone screen. The drawing is all black, only the contours are white. Traumas are represented as dark, and the colors come out when there is hope and fighting spirit. That minimalist style maintains us focused on the narrative. The cineast decided to share with us the face of the monster who is the aggressor. I think this choice is made to allow the victim to not feel ashamed and so that we can see the only guilty of this horrendous aggression. Along with the character, we witness her relationship with her body, which is dispossessed and bruised. The broken mirror embodies this metaphor. This mirror also brings back sweet memories, when she spent time with her grandmother. It kept her alive during her recovery. She remembers the celtic figure Aeronwen who is said to be the goddess of war whose name means "carnage". She is a Welsh goddess of destiny who determines the winners and losers of battles. This memory helped her to survive.

The film's strength lies in its voice-over, which can be described as a cold, dehumanizing complaint. Durchánková's use of voice-over and symbolic imagery effectively navigates the transition from immediate trauma to long-term healing, culminating in a powerful courtroom confrontation where the victim confronts her assailant and reclaims control of her life. Natálie Durchánková's documentary "Rising Above" has been chosen as a finalist for the Student Academy Awards. The film, created at FAMU, is one of seven finalists in the documentary category, out of 26 films from 22 international film schools. "Rising Above" is one of only two European films to reach this stage. It was also recognized at Anifilm and reached the BAFTA semi-finals. Directed by Natálie Durchánková, the film tells a powerful story of sexual assault, attempted murder, and the journey to recovery. It was presented in 2024 at the French Annecy festival. It has also been shortlisted for the prestigious Student Academy Awards.

[michaelbragakaijufilms]

Intro to Japanese Kaiju Films (1950s-1960s)

            Over the course of cinematic history, it is difficult to think of a more relevant and revolutionary style of film than the Japanese Kaiju films, particularly those of the 1950s and 1960s. Growing up, my father and I bonded over these movies year in and year out, him growing up on them and sharing them with me to let me experience the same magic that he felt. Because of this, I have a strong sentimental connection with these kinds of films and am extremely excited about having the privilege to study this subject.

            Beginning with background on Kaiju films, a “Kaiju” is defined as the Japanese word for monster or “strange creature” for its direct translation. These beasts can come from absolutely anywhere and anytime, from the sea to outer space, some even having their own categories according to their size. For instance, the term ‘daikaiju’ refers to that of the giant monster while ‘kaijin’ refers to the kaiju that take a humanoid form. With that said, “Kaiju” becomes an umbrella term for the many monsters and beings that fall under any of these sub-categories, including their intentions in relation to humans. With this, there comes a fluid range of reaction from being bent on destruction to being protectors of civilization which often serve as a metaphor for a commentary on humanity.

            Probably the most iconic of these movies and, the first one that my father showed to me, was the 1954 film Godzilla directed and written by Ishirô Honda. A really important aspect of the film’s production is the very company that produced it though, Toho Film Co. who managed to build an entire empire off the “Monsterverse” franchise. Because of Toho, Kaiju like Mothra, Godzilla, King Kong and countless others were able to be immortalized and celebrated by millions decades after their birth. Fun fact, Godzilla became such a cultural icon in Japan that the nation made him a legal citizen. Referring back to the concept of using the monsters as a commentary on human behavior, Godzilla became a political piece on the subject of nuclear testing in early post-World War II. During the years of 1946 and 1958, 23 nuclear devices were detonated in the area of Bikini Atoll, the very place where Godzilla came from. With that said, the nuclear weapons was “the monster” that humanity created, establishing the potential for unparalleled destruction of mankind which is seen through Godzilla’s rampage on Tokyo. In my opinion, the incredible success of the film leading to one of the biggest cinema franchises all around the world further illustrates humanity’s obsession with annihilation of the utmost extent.

            For the remainder of this blog, I seek to expand on concepts like these and dive deeply into the multi-faceted and complex universe of Japanese Kaiju movies. If done correctly, I believe that I, as well as any interested readers, will have the opportunity to utilize the knowledge and context of these films to garner a better understanding about human nature. Thank you.

References:

Godzilla (1954). (2004, May 7). IMDb. Retrieved April 10, 2024, from https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0047034/?ref_=ttfc_fc_tt

Thrift, M. (2019, November 19). Where to begin with kaiju monster movies. BFI. Retrieved April 10, 2024, from https://www.bfi.org.uk/features/where-begin-japan-kaiju-monster-movies

[qu-film-history-to-1968]

How a director and time period influence style

The film bedlam is from 1946, so it was filmed three years after the movie I walked with a zombie. Bedlam was also an RKO pictures film so there were some similarities between the two films that I noticed. Bedlam was said to be inspired by a 1700’s series of paintings that inspired the style and idea behind bedlam. This is a difference between bedlam, and I walked with a zombie, because although I walked with a zombie was inspired by things taking place during that time period there was not a piece of art or literature that directly inspired this movie. I think that when a movie is directly based off of another piece of work it has a direct impact on style because it has to fit within certain expectations and a certain plot and storyline. I also think that when a movie is based off of book it is different than a painting because a painting can be interpreted in many more different ways when compared with a book that already has a storyline. Bedlam was directed by Val Lewton who was also the same director in I walked with a zombie, and I think because of how close they were made together and having the same director there is a lot of similarities that can be drawn between the two movies. The director Lewton produced a lot of films for RKO in the 1940’s and they all followed a similar genre and pattern. During this time period it was when WWII was happening, and a lot of the movies had indirect references to the World War. Most of these movies from Lawton including Bedlam and I walked with a zombie followed a similar genre. Both movies were in the horror genre with a dramatic feel because they both were about realistic things and misconceptions during this time period. 

I walked with a zombie touched on the ideas of racism and did this by using the zombies as slaves and perpetuating this false narrative that one race was lesser than another which was a large issue during the time period when this movie was made. Bedlam touched on the ideas of insane asylums and crazy supernatural people being the patients there. I think during this time period there were a lot of misconceptions when it came to mental institutions and people believed that everyone who went there was crazy and if you went near them, you would become crazy too. Both of these movies directed by Lewton were inspired by issues during the 1940’s and I think that is why both movies have a very similar feel and style and when you watch them it is not difficult to tell that they were produced by the same director. Another similarity between the two movies is that they were both in black and white, which was still fairly common at this time but the transition to color was happening gradually. I think that the plot and techniques would not elicit the same feelings if the movie was in color because the black and white helped to show certain silhouettes and shadows that played into the horror feel and if it was in color that would have been harder to accomplish. Overall, the two movies were a lot more similar than the two movies that I watched from the 1930’s and I think that it was also easy to see how Universal and RKO pictures have different styles that their movies fit into.  The director had a huge influence of both Bedlam and I walked with a zombie because both films addressed an issue and did so in the horror category, but they were both still able to be realistic movies and not completely unrealistic which is different than a lot of horror films.

[dweemeister]

John Ford wins the Academy Award for Best Director for The Quiet Man (1952) – presented by Olivia de Havilland; accepted by John Wayne; introduced by Bob Hope

Director John Ford, long considered one of the central director of Hollywood's Golden Age, was best known for his Westerns. In films such as Stagecoach (1939), My Darling Clementine (1946), and The Searchers (1956), Ford engrained much of the narrative and visual language that audiences worldwide have come to expect from an American Western film.

But every now and then Ford branched off into something entirely different. 1952's The Quiet Man is a romantic comedy in which an Irish-born American boxer (John Wayne) returns home to Ireland to purchase his family farm. There, he meets and falls for a fiery village woman (Maureen O'Hara), and romance kindles amid emerald hillsides and small town hijinks.

The Quiet Man, one of Ford's best works, was nominated for seven Oscars at the 25th Academy Awards, including: Best Sound; Art Direction-Set Direction, Color; Writing, Screenplay; Supporting Actor (Victor McLaglen); Best Director (Ford) and Best Picture. The film won a duo of Oscars: Cinematography (Color; at a time there was a separate category for black-and-white) for Winton C. Hoch and Archie Stout and Best Director for an absent John Ford.

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On this day in Wikipedia: Saturday, 7th October

Welcome, Benvenuta, Willkommen, Bienvenue 🤗 What does @Wikipedia say about 7th October through the years 🏛️📜🗓️?

7th October 2022 🗓️ : Event - Ales Bialiatski Ales Bialiatski, along with two organisations; Memorial & Center for Civil Liberties are awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. "Ales Viktaravich Bialiatski (Belarusian: Алесь Віктаравіч Бяляцкі, romanized: Alieś Viktaravič Bialiacki; born 25 September 1962) is a Belarusian pro-democracy activist and prisoner of conscience known for his work with the Viasna Human Rights Centre. An activist for Belarusian independence and..."

Image licensed under CC BY 4.0? by Mariusz Kubik

7th October 2016 🗓️ : Event - Hurricane Matthew In the wake of Hurricane Matthew, the death toll rises to over 800. "Hurricane Matthew was an extremely powerful Atlantic hurricane which caused catastrophic damage and a humanitarian crisis in Haiti, as well as widespread devastation in the southeastern United States. The deadliest Atlantic hurricane since Hurricane Stan in 2005, and the first Category 5 Atlantic..."

Image by NASA, data superimposed by TheAustinMan

7th October 2013 🗓️ : Death - Leandro Mendoza Leandro Mendoza, Filipino police officer and politician, 36th Executive Secretary of the Philippines (b. 1946) "Leandro Ramos Mendoza (March 17, 1946 – October 7, 2013) was a Filipino politician who served as Executive Secretary of the Philippines. He previously served as Chief of the Philippine National Police and DOTC Secretary...."

7th October 1973 🗓️ : Birth - Sami Hyypiä Sami Hyypiä, Finnish footballer and manager "Sami Tuomas Hyypiä (Finnish pronunciation: [ˈsɑmi ˈhyːpiæ]; born 7 October 1973) is a Finnish professional football manager and a former player who played as a defender. Hyypiä began his playing career with Ykkönen side Kumu and soon moved to Veikkausliiga outfit MyPa. He spent four years at the..."

Image licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0? by Дмитрий Неймырок/Dmitry Neymyrok/Dmitrij Nejmyrok

7th October 1923 🗓️ : Birth - Břetislav Pojar Břetislav Pojar, Czech animator and director (d. 2012) "Břetislav Pojar (7 October 1923 – 12 October 2012) was a Czech puppeteer, animator and director of short and feature films. Born in Sušice, Czechoslovakia, Pojar started his career in the late 1940s with his work on The Story of the Bass Cello (1949) based on the story by Anton Chekhov and directed..."

Image licensed under CC BY-SA 2.5? by che (Please credit as "Petr Novák, Wikipedia" in case you use this outside Wikimedia projects.)

7th October 1821 🗓️ : Birth - Richard H. Anderson (general) Richard H. Anderson, American general (d. 1879) "Richard Heron Anderson (October 7, 1821 – June 26, 1879) was a career U.S. Army officer, fighting with distinction in the Mexican–American War. He also served as a Confederate general during the American Civil War, fighting in the Eastern Theater of the conflict and most notably during the 1864..."

Image by Courtesy Century Co.

7th October 🗓️ : Holiday - Christian feast day: Henry Muhlenberg (some Lutheran Churches, Episcopal Church of the USA) "Henry Melchior Muhlenberg (born Heinrich Melchior Mühlenberg; September 6, 1711 – October 7, 1787), was a German-born Lutheran clergyman and missionary. Born in Einbeck, Muhlenberg immigrated to the Province of Pennsylvania in response to demands from Lutherans for missionary work in the colony...."

Image by Unidentified painter