Random Thoughts

I haven’t seen many of Rossellini’s films… Has he been somewhat forgotten? Based on this film, he’s good, but he’s not as distinctive as, say, Fellini, or as commercial as, say, Vincente Minnelli. So I could see how he’s not mentioned that often any more.

Although I could just be hanging out in the wrong places. Perhaps most people talk about Rossellini all the time.

Anyway. This isn’t bad. I’m enjoying the Ingrid Bergman performance. But… while it starts off in an enjoyable way, it really starts dragging after a while.

But it’s officially the 67th best film ever, and none of his other films appear on the list.

Monkey Plot. I mean Gland.

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“I think my character is supposed to be a bit insane?”

“Slightly?”

It’s a film about religious woes in the Danish countryside! Yay! My favourite!

But it manages to be quite fascinating and touching, anyway. And sometimes even funny.

I give this film a three hanky rating.

Ordet. Carl Theodor Dreyer. 1955.

(The DVD cover is a spoiler.)

Martinez

Mint Julep

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Heh heh. Henry Fonda just said he was thirty-eight.

This was supposed to be all taut and tense and nightmarish, but initially I found it kinda boring.

Then it became quite touching, and then I was strangely interested. And then I was bored again.

It’s not Hitchcock’s best. I think the moral is supposed to be: Women suck.

The Wrong Man. Alfred Hitchcock. 1956.

Shirley Temple

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I’m a great fan of Sirk’s 50s melodramas. I mean, All That Heaven Allows… Written on the Wind… Imitation of Life…

They’re great films.

They’re also kinda preachey. (In a good way!) The politics of this film are slightly bit more difficult to parse. It’s not Sirk’s usual pinko commie setting: I mean, the Korean war. It’s a bit “War Is Hell”, but a lot “War Is Taking Care Of Stray Korean Children”.

(And the choice of having a not very Korean looking woman play the only Korean woman with a speaking part is a bit weird. I mean, if this wasn’t Sirk I wouldn’t have mentioned it, but from him it’s odd.)

But, hey, I cried.

Also: “Your wife must be very happy.” Rock Hudson: “She’s as happy as she can be with a husband who left her alone.”

Battle Hymn. Douglas Sirk. 1957.

Malmo Aviation

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It’s a self bronzer catastrophe!

Much tense!

I can see why the studio weren’t quite happy with this film. The tense maelstrom into depravity is difficult to parse — does the film really mean it (man), or is it a parody? Were the actors rolling around laughing while coming up with the “reefer” lines?

But anyway. It is awfully exciting.

Touch of Evil. Orson Welles. 1958.

Mudslide

I made this with totally the wrong sort of whisk{e,}y. It’s probably nice with a better brand.

This post is part of the F&C series.