Fifteen Movie Questions Meme

The other day read this Meme answered by Meredith from Forever Classic and now I'm answering it too!

1. Movie you love with a passion.

I love a lot of movies with a passion! I mean, I've listed 54 movies I adore, from The Sound of Music to Blonde Venus & 8 Classic Movies I can watch over and over... so you can't make me pick just one!!

2. Movie you vow to never watch.

Uhm, movies from Stewart Granger, one of the few actors I can't stand. I wrote why here. Also horror movies like The Exorcist because then I can't sleep.

3. Movie that literally left you speechless.

Literally? I don't remember being speechless after watching a Classic Movie (modern movies usually leave me speechless, like utterly shocking Requiem for a dream or Chilean Fuga). Old masterpieces make me talk and talk.

Well, some old movies had such sad endings that I couldn't say a word because I had a lump in my throat like The Wedding Night with Gary Cooper (re-watched it yesterday, and, yup, I ended crying again) or Disney's animated The Small One (gosh, this movie, I dare you not to cry!)

4. Movie you always recommend.

To women and girls I always recommend Roman Holiday. To guys, maybe, To have and have not (it's like Casablanca, but with more action I say to them). Then it depends on the old movie knowledge of the people I'm talking to.

5. Actor/actress you always watch, no matter how crappy the movie.

Audrey Hepburn (you have to be a fan to bare Bloodline or one of the worst movie I've ever seen) & Cary Grant (my least favorite movie from him is Operation Petticoat, looked really outdated).

6. Actor/actress you don't get the appeal for.

Have I mentioned Stewart Granger? Yes? Well, him, definitively.

7. Actor/actress, living or dead, you'd love to meet.

Living actresses: Olivia De Havilland, Lauren Bacall , Joan Fontaine, Maureen O'Hara, Eleanor Parker, Joanne Woodward.

Living actors: Sean Connery and Elli Wallach.

Stars that left us: I'd like to meet everyone really (except for Stewart Granger, obviously). Audrey, Cary, Gary, Errol, Carole, Clark, Deborah, Ginger, Jean Arthur, Paul Newman, Myrna Loy ETC ETC ETC.

8. Sexiest actor/actress you've seen. (Picture required!)

Gary Cooper, hands down

If you liked that pic, you should definitively check this gallery of photos from him I put together. I called it "Mercy". Or check my list of The 10 most handsome men from classic movies .

9. Dream cast.

This is really a difficult question. Some movies have already a dream cast: Cary and Audrey worked together in Charade and nailed it. Richard Burton, Deborah Kerr and Ava Gardner worked together in The Night of the Iguana and nailed it too. And what about the cast of Grand Hotel?

If I think of stars that I would like to see together I would mention maybe Errol Flynn and Gary Cooper and Cary Grant (Alice in Wonderland doesn't count). In an adventure movie. That would be...dreamy :)

Oh, I've also listed Old Hollywood stars you wish had worked together like Deborah Kerr & Laurence Olivier.

10. Favorite actor pairing.

Sooo many: Cary & Audrey in Charade; Cary & Carole in In name Only; Cary & Rosalind in His girl Friday; Cary & Ingrid in Notorious; Bogie & Bacall; Fred & Ginger; Errol Flynn & Maureen O'Hara in Against all flags; Greta Garbo & Robert Taylor in Camille; Paul Newman & Robert Redford in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid... I could go on forever really.

11. Favorite movie setting.

Rome in Roman Holiday. Ireland in The Quiet Man. I also like films that take place in the country, like In Name Only or Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House.

12. Favorite decade for movies.

Couldn't tell: 30s, 40s, 50s.

13. Chick flick or action movie?

If I really have to choose one, I'd pick chick flick. But I love movies that mix both.

14. Hero, villain or anti-hero?

Villains drive me mad. Anti-heroes make me blue. Heroes are fun :)

15. Black and white or color?

So difficult! Can't choose, each one has marvelous qualities.

.....................................

Hope you enjoyed!

Wanna answer this meme created by Defiant Success? Well, you've been tagged :)

You can copy the questions from the original site.

Remember that now you can follow me on Twitter and Facebook :)

My old movie chat with my grandparents

I live in a very small city here in Chile, that's near our capital, Santiago. Visiting Santiago it's like a normal 1-hour trip for us; I study there, etc. 

That's Santiago...in the forties...in case you were wondering :)

Yesterday my grandparents went to the doctor for a checkup, so I asked them to bring me in their car. We talked about different things until I realized I hadn't told them about my blog nor my love for old movies, so when we had like 20 minutes to go, our old movie chat started. 

My grandpa was driving, my grandma was in the passenger's seat and I was in the back seat. I had to raise my voice, because my grandma doesn't hear perfectly....

Me: Hey, grandparents, did you know that about a year ago I started watching an awful lot of old movies and I have my own site where I write about them??? 

Grandparents: Nooo... 

Me: Well, yeah. I have a blast watching them. They're so good!! ...I see a movie and then I write a bit about them...in English! And people from all over the world visit my site and leave comments... 

Grandpa: Oh, how interesting! And do you know how many people read what you write? 

Me: Well, yes, there's a tool you can install, and *** people visit my blog everyday. 

Grandpa: Wow! 

Me: And the best thing is that I really enjoy old films. You know, from the 30s and 40s and 50s.  Like movies from Audrey Hepburn and Cary Grant...and Olivia de Havilland...And I've also read biographies from these stars...like the one written by Ginger Rogers: very funny! And recently I read one about Marlene Dietrich.

Grandma: Oh, yes, she was really beautiful! (Thinks a bit trying to remember more stars)...Ava Gardner! 

Me: Oh, she's awesome. So beautiful and such a great actress... 

Grandma: And...Clark Gable, so handsome.... 

Me: I know! I read somewhere that Vivien Leigh and him visited Chile and people went crazy! 

Grandma: Yes, that's right...and Bette Davis! 

Me: Terrific! Did you know that Joan Crawford and Bette hated each other? Like all their lives and when the finally got to work together Bette used to drink Cokes just to annoy Joan...you know, she was like the president of Pepsi or something... 

Grandma: LOL. I had no idea....AND Robert Taylor! 

Me: Yeah, I know him. He's great but I prefer Gary Cooper. 

Grandma: And the other actor...the one from the famous westerns.... 

Me: John Wayne! 

Grandma: Yes, John Wayne. And the other girl, that suffered so much... 

Me: Marilyn Monroe? I know! I mean she's so famous because she was labeled as "sex bomb" and all that jazz but she really was a great actress...and she was so interested in learning about art and philosophy... 

Grandparents nod. 

Grandpa: Did you know that when I was a kid I could buy one ticket and sit there all afternoon watching movies? 

Me: I've heard about that. You could stay as much as you wanted! So cool! 

Grandpa: And there were people in charge of going around with the movies because cinemas didn't have a lot of copies. 

Me: I saw that in a movie from Hitchcock. And I remember because the boy was carrying the movie like...in a can... 

Grandpa: That's right, they used cans... 

Me:...yeah...and well, the boy was important in the movie because he was really carrying a bomb! 

Grandparents gasp. 

Me:... and Hitchcock made him explode.... 

Grandparents say 'oooh'. Then... 

Grandma: I really, really liked Anthony Quinn...one of my favorite movies was Zorba The Greek... 

Me: I've seen it! But, grandma, it's so dramatic...I mean that poor woman being beaten by a crowd... 

Grandma: I liked that movie. Also, the one from Akira Kurosawa... 

Me: Ikiru?  

Grandpa: Ikiru! Marvelous film... 

Grandma: No, not that one...Dreams! 

Grandpa and I smile. It's a great film. 

Me: And I remember you really loved Rebecca with Joan Fontaine.... 

Grandma: Oh, yes, Rebecca! 

Me: Did you know that Joan Fontaine and Olivia de Havilland are sisters? And they hate each other. And both are alive, but haven't forgive whatever they had to forgive... 

Grandma: Is Olivia really alive? She's way older than me!

Me: Yeah, she's like the only surviving actress from Gone With the Wind!

We talked a bit more. Then, we arrived home, I said goodbye and waved to them. 

My dad says I'll never forget this trip.

Photo Results: When I say, you say #3

We have the [photo] results for the third edition of When I say, you say, where I pick a word and you write your first movie related thought. Thanks everyone who participated, great thoughts and great movies! I have to watch some of these films soon!

You can check the complete answers in the original post. I added the picture credits as a "source" link.

When I say SWIMMING POOL, you say:

"Buster Keaton's date-gone-wrong in The Cameraman" | Source

"Weirdly enough, Gene Kelly in American in Paris when he's doing that dance with the kids" | Source.

"Leave Her to Heaven. Gene Tierney in a bathing cap, swimming a race and enticing Cornel Wilde"

"Esther Williams" | Source

"HIGH SOCIETY! Grace Kelly, in her adorable white bathing suit that's sexy, pretty, & modest all at once..." | Source

(x3) "William Holden lying face down in Norma Desmond's swimming pool in 'Sunset Blvd.'"; "Sunset Blvd -- Joe finally got his pool." & "Sunset Blvd."

"Si tú dices swimming pool, yo digo El nadador".| Source

"For no good reason, Rohmer's 'Pauline At The Beach" |  Source. 

"Elvis falling off the diving board and into the pool in Viva Las Vegas" | Source.

"Mr. Peabdy y la sirena. William Powell y Ann Blyth."| Source

Wanna participate? Well stay tuned, the next edition is coming soon! In the meantime, why don't you check the text answers for the words GUITAR and IRELAND?

Remember that you can follow me on Twitter and Facebook :)

The Showbiz Wizard: "A Chat Debbie Reynolds!"

Mick from The Showbiz Wizard authorized me to re-post his wonderful conversation with Debbie Reynolds early this year and share it with you guys. He says he met Debbie at her California home...well, let him explain it:

"

She has been called "America's Sweetheart" in the peak of her career which has spanned six decades. Debbie Reynolds is a living legend from Hollywood's golden age and at age 78 (she will be 79 on April 1st!), she continues to perform throughout the country to the amazement of her cherished fans. I had the great honor to chat with Debbie from her California home just the other day!

MICK: Please tell me about your upcoming show at the Tilles Center on the campus of C.W. Post in Brookville, Long Island on April 8th!

DEBBIE: I call it a variety show! It's a concert show filled with music and dancing. I do impressions of Barbara Streisand, Marlene Dietrich and Mae West; I do a lot of comedy and also bring my film clips of "Singing In The Rain", "The Unsinkable Molly Brown", "The Tender Trap" with Sinatra. I sing with each of these movie clips too. We do music from Stephen Sondheim, Gershwin and all of those great songs and standards that I loved and grew up with. I do a little bit of everything because the people are coming out to see you and you take them out of their problems in their life for the time that they are seeing the show. I don't do politics and I don't do religion! I try to keep it as light as possible! I do another section of out takes of mistakes from classic films of Bette Davis,Jimmy Stewart and Humphrey Bogart and all the greats. This is all from my collection of memorabilia. I have a very large film library!

MICK: You grew up in Burbank, California, right next door to Hollywood. Who were your favorite movie stars when you were growing up?

DEBBIE: I loved the musicals! I loved Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers and Gene Kelly! I went to the movies every weekend in the 40's. There were a lot of comedies and musicals and I kind of grew up on them. I loved Jimmy Stewart and Errol Flynn too!

MICK: I see on your website that you are auctioning off your incredible movie memorabilia collection in June, the largest private collection in the world.

DEBBIE: Yes, I've given up after all these years. I just can't seem to get it done [a movie museum] and the Academy doesn't seem to care. I can't get enough backing people to care about the building of a museum. It's not good economical times. So I'm going to have a big auction in June and another one in December.

MICK: Are you going to keep anything?

DEBBIE: No I'm going to sell everything!

MICK: In your extensive collection, what is your most special piece?

DEBBIE: I have Marilyn Monroe's white subway dress, Barbara Streisand's gold dress from 'Hello Dolly", Hepburn's black Aztec dress. I have virtually every star from every Academy Award winning movie! Cary Grant, Grace Kelly, Marlon Brando, Jimmy Stewart, Jack Lemmon, Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack, Groucho and Harpo Marx. I have the best private collection in the world!

MICK: When was the last time you spoke top Elizabeth Taylor?

DEBBIE: I spoke to her about five weeks ago when she was quite ill. She was trying to get better but there was just no ability to get better. Her back was so severe and her pain was great. They couldn't find any way to help her.

MICK: Did you have a favorite costar?

DEBBIE: I think my favorite costar was Jimmy Stewart. I loved working with him. I also loved Glenn Ford. We had wonderful fun together. I had a great time working with Dick Van Dyke. I really enjoyed everybody! I never did meet someone that I didn't like! I loved them all!

MICK: I read one of your quotes that said " "Singing In The Rain" and childbirth are two of the hardest things I ever did in my life". Why was "Singing In The Rain" hard?

DEBBIE: I was just referring to the one number that was called "Good Morning" where we go over the couch. First of all, I was not a dancer! I had to learn how to dance and keep up with Gene Kelly and Donald O"Connor. That was enormously difficult for a seventeen year old who never danced before to have that challenge! That was a very hard number and Gene was a brilliant dancer. He made me work very hard and I did! I had blood in my shoes! We didn't have any Saturday or Sunday off where we could just pass out for the day. We worked from six in the morning until eleven at night.

MICK: Are you religious?

DEBBIE: Yes, I'm very religious!

MICK: Have you ever had any miracles happen in your life?

DEBBIE: It's a miracle I'm still alive! The fact that I've survived all my bad marriages is a miracle! I'm very happy I got through childbirth alive.

MICK: You've had numerous successes and awards in your illustrious career. What would you consider your biggest achievement?

DEBBIE: For "The Unsinkable Molly Brown', I was nominated for an Academy Award. I worked very hard and I loved that movie. I thought I did an excellent job in that picture.

MICK: What are your upcoming plans?

DEBBIE: To continue doing my shows until I drop dead! I'm going to be just like George Burns and stay on the stage until I drop dead and have myself stuffed like Roy Rogers' horse Trigger! That's the joke on how I'm ending my career. I want to perform as long as I can!

MICK: How would you like to be remembered?

DEBBIE: I'd like to be remembered as a person who cared about other people and was a good mother and a good friend. That's good enough!

You can see more on Debbie at: http://debbiereynolds.com "

[Originally posted on Tuesday, March 29, 2011 on The Show Biz Wizard. I added pictures #2, 4 & 5]

MANY THANKS to Mick for sharing this nice chat with us!!  :)

Remember that now you can follow me on Twitter and Facebook :)

When I say, you say #3: Swimming Pool

Here's the third edition of our beloved game, When I say, you say. Well, at least I love reading your obscure thoughts :) 

New to the game? Well, it's super easy, I pick a word and you leave a comment with the first (first) movie related thing that comes to your mind. Maybe a title, a scene, an actor/actress, a poster, a passage in movie a book, etc etc.

Sketch credits: ErinHill

So, when I say SWIMMING POOL, you say:

Attention Readers: new COMMENT SYSTEM on Via Margutta 51

 Update: My affair with Disqus is over.


Yesterday I finally made up my mind and installed a comment system called Disqus. I know some of you are familiar with the interface, which is very intuitive, but for those who are accustomed to the Blogger system, here's a brief explanation:

[Update: please notice that Blogger doesn't yet allow Disqus to work on their mobile templates, so if you're leaving a comment from a mobile you'll be using the usual Blogger form and it might take a little longer for your message to appear.]

With Disqus you can leave a comment in more ways:

a) Post as guest, adding your name or nickname, e-mail and, if you want, a link to your website. Maybe this is the most similar to the Blogger system, but is better because you can leave your direct site url.

b) Using your social network accounts. This is great, for example, if you have a Twitter account for your blog. 

c) Or creating a Disqus account to leave comments. This is very useful if you want to keep track of the comments you leave in other sites.

>> To leave a comment, simply start writing or click the comment area and the "Post as..." button will appear; then choose the comment method you prefer.

You can also "Like" or "Don't like" my post and subscribe to the rest of the replies by e-mail or RSS.

Please, if you have any doubts, just ask ;)

Flynn & Stanwyck's 'Cry Wolf' (1947): spooky!

I'm such a coward, really. When I saw Sixth Sense I had to sleep with my parents. Every time I see a picture that shows or suggests something horrible, I can't go alone to the kitchen at night and I remember the creepy scenes over and over and I feel that someone is following me, etc. 

Last night I saw Cry Wolf (1947; Peter Godfrey) and I really suffered, but in a good way. Some parts were spooky, but I could take them and enjoy the movie.

The story goes this way: Barbara arrives to Flynn's house to claim her recently deceased husband's fortune. Flynn was his uncle. The mansion is like in the country, in the middle of nowhere and there also live Flynn's young niece and a lot of servants. Nobody knew that the dead guy had been married, so Flynn is super unpleasant with Barbara. 

She stays in the mansion. The niece tells her that she believes that her uncle wants to kill her, just like he killed her brother. OOOOOhhhh. AND that the uncle has a secret laboratory and screams can be heard at night (which is great, because I think that in movies you should apply the "tell, don't show" formula; suggesting something creepy can be more scary that actually seeing it).

Things get more mysterious and spooky: one night Barbara wakes up...and HEARS a man screaming with pain!! Then a tragic death occurs in the mansion and you hide under the covers...and the end is really shocking...

I really enjoyed watching this movie, even when it has some major plot holes (if I tell you about them, I'd spoil  the end). But because there are so many things going on, you don't think that are way more logical ways to behave in such circumstances.

It was great to see Flynn in this role, apparently a charming bad guy, a guy you get to fear because of the whole background information you get about him. I found myself thinking about the way he delivers some long explanations, making you really interested in what he's saying.

And Barbara becomes kind of a Nancy Drew, detective, and she's super agile and fearless ("Fear is stupid" she explains) and clever and rides horses very fast and deals with Flynn without making him know about her suspicions. The scenes in which she investigates are engaging and tense and you root for her and want to know what the hell is really going on in that lab.

This is a fun movie with interesting performances if you can forgive some plot holes. Recommended to watch at night. 

Why I love "Beloved Infidel" (1959)

Last night I saw (again) Beloved Infidel (1959; Henry King), this time with my mom. While I re-watched it I thought about why I like it so much, when it's not a very popular movie (Imdb users give it a 5.9). Plus it's about the relationship between Francis Scott Fitzgerald and Hollywood columnist Sheilah Graham, which should make me very bitter, since I've read some books about Scott and his wife, Zelda. 

Scott and Sheilah.

The Hollywood version of the couple.

I love it, first, because of the cast.

Gregory Peck and Deborah Kerr are superb as Scott and Sheilah. He, making so palpable the dichotomy between a sober person, in this case, a supportive, understanding and kind Scott and a drunk person. Drunk Scott is sometimes very annoying, and talks and talks and can be even funny. Drunk people sometimes are. But then he can be a violent, hurtful man, a man that has lost all the social filters and can't restrain himself. Gregory is so great at both.

And she, starting the movie as her elegant, witty characters. My mom thought I had chosen An affair to remember again. At the beginning, Sheilah Graham is a British reporter recently arrived to the States that --according to herself-- has many contacts with noblemen and the royalty. Is a woman that writes what she thinks about Hollywood actors and criticize them.

But when she meets Scott, all the masquerade melts and it's so touching, so human the way it does. This is one of my favorite scenes and contains a really powerful performance from both actors:

Heartbreaking, don't you guys think? 

Another thing I love from this movie, is the attention to the details in terms of the gestures and common little actions one makes everyday. Deborah passes some sheets and a pen to Gregory, so he can make some corrections. He starts writing a bit uncomfortable because he has no support for the sheets, so Deborah passes him a magazine, so he can write over it. You know, small things that make the performance more human. 

Deborah was great a little gestures. Sometimes she reinforces what she's saying with a little smile or a wink. Or she nods playfully. Gregory too, I noticed yesterday, that for example, when he was evaluating the idea of going to Malibu, he had his arms crossed and he drummed with his fingers against his ribs. It was a small gesture, that maybe audience wouldn't notice, but it meant that Gregory was really thinking in what his character was feeling.

Eddie Albert, as Bob Carter (a character based on Robert Benchley, friend of Scott) brings logic to the whole drama: he advices Scott and explains things to Sheilah. I tried to recognize him as photographer Irving Radovich from Roman Holiday, but six years after, he looked totally different. 

Watching this movie, you go like in a roller coaster. When Sheilah and Scott meet, things go fine for both: he's working in some scripts for Hollywood, earning money to support his mentally ill wife and their daughter. And she is enjoying her success. Their relationship is fun and constructive.

The script contains so many little scenes that are fun/interesting to watch, like their visit to a small book shop in which the owner gives Scott some hope about his decadent career or when Scott offers Sheilah to make a list of books to read together. So it's painful to watch how Scott is dragged to hell and how he tries to overcome his problems.

I know there are a lot of cheesy aspects in this Hollywood version of the story, especially the combination of the main song and the beach scenes, the main song and most of the romantic scenes...plus the score is very intrusive at some points. BUT they can be totally overlooked in my opinion. And the main song by itself is not that bad.

If you haven't seen this because of the reviews, give it an opportunity. Greg and Deb's performances deserve it.

Deborah & Sheilah.

I only have one doubt: have any of you read Sheilah Graham's book? I wish I could, it must be great, even when I don't really like the gossip columnist job she did.

On a side note, it's so, so sad to know the real background of this story the way it ended for the official Fitzgeralds. Zelda dying in a fire in a mental hospital. Her letters to Scott were so profound and beautiful, I'll transcribe some of them for you one of these days. 

 I'd love to know your opinion about this movie.

The Fountainhead (1949) in my own words: PART II

(I just realized that I completely altered the order of the events in the previous post...LOL!! I told you I'm like Dori from Finding Nemo).

Previously on The Fountainhead.... 

Coop wants to build his own designs...Patricia Neal doesn't want to feel attached to pretay things...Coop is broke and meets Patricia who doesn't know who he really is...Patricia is attracted to Coop, but whips him in the pretay face anyway... 

What will happen between these two? Find out next:

Coop is tired of Patricia's shenanigans, so he decides to visit her that night.

CENSORED by the Hays Code.

*Later that night*
Coop goes back to his little room and finds a little letter asking him to build a huge building. He leaves, without saying goodbye.

Patricia, following her daily schedule, rides her horse to stalk Coop...just to find out that he's gone. And she doesn't want to ask his name to the other workers, otherwise the movie would be 20 minutes shorter.

*Events that I told you last night but should go here*

Now Coop builds a super duper skyscraper. Now the newspaper starts a campaign against him. Now Patricia quits from the newspaper job. Now her boss says he loves her (and she delivers this great line: If I ever decide to punish myself for some terrible guilt...I'll marry you. LOL)

*Basically, yesterday's post should have been there*

Anyway, Patricia is at a very elegant party. There aren't prettay things to break (only her dress, but she doesn't want to go around naked).

Patricia is really bored.

But Coop, now without the hand drill but in a super elegant tuxedo, joins the party. A guy introduces him to Patricia.

She thinks: OH-MY-GOD. The sweaty worker = the terrific architect. I can't believe this!

 He says:  I read your column every day.

Then they get a room...to talk about their future. She explains her issue with pretay things and says that she's completely in love with him and begs him to quit architecture (otherwise bad guys will destroy him) so they can live together in the country.

Coop says he won't. But he loves her. And because he has a crystal ball he says that they won't be together like until the end of the movie.

*Later*
Patricia marries her ex boss.
Coop is broke because of the bad publicity.

*Even later*
The Dark-columnist-like-the-one-from-Ratatouille sees Coop on the streets and tells him that he's the one who convinced the newspaper owner to start a campaign against him. They have the next heated argument:

Dark Columnist: Wanna know why?
Coop: No.

*Later than even later*
Coop starts building small things in his modern way. Like a sand castle and a toy house. Just kidding. He builds a farm and prettay buildings like this one:

(......)

He works until he gets his reputation back. Now guess WHO WANTS TO HIRE HIM?

The Fountainhead (1949) in my own words: PART I

Last night I finally saw this famous movie starring Gary Cooper and Patricia Neal.

Sometimes I really enjoy the performances and the whole movie, but I just have to tell the story in my own way (like when I told you about The Naked Jungle). So click the links if you want serious info (and if you, like me, think that Wikipedia is a valid source) about the background of the novel or the  author.

The movie is about a young architect (played by a not so young Coop) that loves to design buildings his own modern way.

Like if you say, 'hey Coop, I'd like to put a prettay entrance to my new house, maybe a Greek column or something" he'd kill you and throw the drafts to the mud.

Coop had a master, like in Karate Kid, but in the architecture world. Well, they don't do exercises or kick the air in a boat... actually, this master dies at the beginning, being poor and nobody cares because he built like he wanted. But before he dies, he says to Coop: "don't live my way kid, give your customers what they want, etc etc". *Dies*

BUT Coop doesn't listen to him, because he wants to sell his own designs.

The thing is that he's brilliant. And some people notice. Like one a year. So after 4 years of work, he has  built only 4 buildings and has like 14 dollars on his pocket.

Then a rich guy decides to hire him. And Coop builds a super duper skyscraper for him.

* Meanwhile in a popular newspaper* An architecture columnist thinks that Coop is brilliant (told ya) but he wants to destroy him. And when you say, but why are you so mean Mr. Dark-Columnist-Like-That-One from- Ratatouille?,  he rubs his hands and laughs in a very evil way.

 Just kidding. Kind of.

So he convinces his boss to start a campaign against Coop, that way they will increase their sales. Because, you know, people loves architecture gossip. So he writes something like "his buildings are ugly and I don't like them. He should have made a Greek column and a baroque balcony etc"

AND this newspaper is so popular that MAKES PEOPLE TALK ABOUT ARCHITECTURE! Like in the bus, some women say (something like):

Woman A: "hey did you hear about the new building?"

Woman B: "yeah, I know, I hate it. He should have made a Greek column and a baroque balcony!"

Woman A: "I think the same!"

Woman B: "Well, this is my stop. I'll call you later to discuss more about the building"

Woman A: "I'll be waiting for your call"

*Meanwhile in Patricia Neal's department*

Patricia (she was 22 when they filmed this movie) is voluntarily dropping a sculpture that looks prettay expensive from her window...why? Well, according to her, because it's too prettay, so she can't be attached to it (can you imagine what she's going to do when she meets Coop aka one of the most handsome men ever?).

The thing is that Patricia is also an architecture columnist for this popular newspaper (and the big boss is in love with her), so when she finds out about the campaign against the mysterious architect, she quits. But don't worry, she's the daughter of a millionaire, so she won't be starving.

*Later*

Coop is unemployed and working in a quarry. The poor kid. The owner of this thing is Patricia's father. Patricia is spending a little nice vacation there and goes riding...and sees a very prettay guy working with a very old hand drill under the sun, all sweaty...

She doesn't know who he is, but she's obsessed with him. She remembers his arm and the hand drill (I can say, because the arm and the hand drill are shown superposed to Patricia Neal sitting and thinking).

But because she has this weird issue with prettay things, she behaves...weirdly. Like she starts stalking the poor worker. If you could read her agenda, this is what you'd see:

8:00AM: Wake up.

8:20AM: Ride my prettay horse (mental note: gotta kill it) to the quarry.

8.25AM to 20PM: Stalk the worker with the arm and the hand drill.

Then in the next page you could read this plan:

How can I make this guy come to my prettay house (mental note: I have to make it explode)?? OHH, I'll break my marble chimney and make him fix it. I'm so clever.

Coop ain't no fool and knows what's happening in Patricia's mind. So he writes a mental note himself:

Go and check her problem the first time. She'll think he has me at her feet and that I'll be back to fix it. But I'll send an ugly guy instead. LOL.

But Patricia has no humor so she rides and rides and whips Coop. In the prettay face. Really.

AND THEN...

To be continued....


(PART II)

Haiku #15: The Hunchback of Notre Dame (and THANKS)

First of all, I wanted to thank all the people that commented on my review of this movie for the CMBA Blogathon, that would be: Rachel, Caftan Woman, Desiree, Grand Old Movies, R. D. Finch, Rick, DorianTB, Page, whisthilngypsy, FlickChick, John, ClassicBecky, Audrey, ClassicFilmBoy, The Lady Eve & Jacqueline T. Lynch.

Seriously guys, I'm very honored. This one is for you:

The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939)

"Oh, she's gone, she's gone!
The darkness is returning.
The bells are crying"

This is an entry for the Best For Film Hollywood Haikus blogging competition. Enter now.

------------------
Remember that you can follow me on Twitter and Facebook :)

CMBA Movies of 1939 Blogathon: The Hunchback of Notre Dame

(...)

Lost in a crowd of greats.

Not a single Oscar. 

That's showbiz"

Maureen O'Hara, 'Tis Herself.

If there's a period in Human History I would NOT have liked to be born in, that would be Medieval Europe. Think about it: invasions, lack of education for common people, diseases, abuses, wars, dirtiness...and even when it's fiction, if there's a character I would not like to be, that's Esmeralda, the gypsy. I mean you have to add to the whole terrible scenario, the fact of being persecuted because of your race, the fact that a creepy archdeacon wants to kill/torture you because he desires you, oh, that in a creepy night, after being chased by an ugly-looking hunchback, you get married with a stranger because a gang of thieves wanted to kill him.

I never liked this novel by Victor Hugo because it give me the creeps. I didn't even see the Disney version. I found the whole thing disgusting.

Then one day I saw the 1939 version (William Dieterle) with my mom on TCM. Yes, all the creepy and disgusting elements were there. And under Dieterle's direction, they were even maximized. An aggresive and vulgar multitude gathers to see people being punished or executed. They're shown laughing at others' disgraces. They become one character, an obscure, noisy character under dark lighting, in a setting that makes you feel the dirtiness of the city, mud, puddles; Paris never looked less charming.

But Charles Laughton was also there.

And he was giving his poor character a soul, some kind of dignity amid such disgrace and terrible times. The hunchback says that he's not human, not a beast. And Charles plays him like a bit of both. Sometimes he behaves like a happy child playing with a new toy, the next like a cornered animal. With his one real eye visible, Charles stares Esmeralda like a sad puppy looking for affection and then like a young man --the character was 24 years old-- hopelessly in love.

Charles is one of the reason why this film is so memorable. What a terrific performer he was. He acted putting together the main powerful core of his characters and rich details, everything in a perfect combination, the kind of combination that makes you think that that's it, there's not other way to play it.

And when you add to his performance the great work from Perc Westmore, at the time the number one makeup man in the picture business, well it just can't get any better.

Maureen O'Hara remembers in her entertaining autobiography (review), how Charles became the hunchback:

When I saw Laughton for the first time as Quasimodo, I almost fell over. I took one look at him and gasped,  "Good God, Charles. Is that really you?" He answered me with a wink and then limped off. The transformation was unbelievable, and was accomplished without any of the advance technology used today (...)

Laughton wanted the hunchback's face to look lopsided, and so the mask had to pull the right side of his face up and the left down. A false eye was placed on the left cheek and Laughton wore colored contact lens in his right eye to give it a cloudy look. The hump itself weighed four pounds and consisted of an aluminium scaffold filled with foam rubber and then covered with a thin layer of elastic. Laughton wanted it heavy so he cold feel the physical pain of walking with it. He also had an inch added to the stole of his left shoe so that one leg would be shorter than the other, creating a natural limp.

When I entered this blogathon, I thought hell yeah, what a great year was 1939...for films. Because that year was a terrible time for humanity. While they were filming, the World War II began. Maureen remembers two related memorable moments: the first, when Hitler invaded Poland.The cast and crew arrived fearful to the set. Everyone started trying to comfort each other. Charles, dressed as Quasimodo, was sitting on his chair, absent minded and silent. But then he stood and started recitig the Gettysburg Address. Like a prayer. Everyone listened to him, moved. Maureen says it was the greatest single piece of acting she has ever seen.

The second occurred when England and France declared war on Germany. They had to shoot the scene when Quasimodo rings the bells for Esmeralda:

It was supposed to be an expression of the hunchback's love for her. But Laughton was so overcome with pain that the emotion of the scene swept him away. He began ringing the bells and then it grew into something that trascended the film. He rang them with a ferocity that I had never seen in him before. The sound was almost deafening. Everybody, including Dieterly, was so overcome we all forgot we were shooting a scene. Dieterle forgot to call  "Cut'' when the scene ended, and Laughton kept ringing the bells until he collapsed from exhaustion.

Afterward. I went to see him in his tent. "Charles, are you all right?" I asked. "It just took me over, Maureen" he replied. "I couldn't even think of Esmeralda up there at all. I could only think of the poor people out there going to fight that bloody, bloody war. To arouse the world, to stop that terrible blutchery! Awake! Awake! That's all I could feel!

In many ways, the war helped Laughton's performance. It became his nexus. It was the voice which he could express the world's pain and suffering "

And Maureen O'Hara --Charles' protégée (he even wanted to adopt her)-- as Esmeralda brings a special light to the film. Dieterle's cameras captured forever this fresh new face, an eigtheen year old Irish girl making her first film in the States. I especially like the scenes in which she talks to Virgin Mary, when she gives water to Quasimodo and when she claims her innocence before the guilty monk. And after re-watching this I thought how great is that Maureen is still with us.

There are some parts in the story that I don't get though. At the end Quasimodo wants to save Esmeralda, the thieves want to save Esmeralda, her husband wants to save her, the Church wants to save her, the King wants to save her...but somehow they all end up confronting each other, instead of uniting against the noble men that want to execute her. As The Captain & Cool Hand Luke would say, what we have here is a failure to communicate :)

But there are more things to like about this film, like Harry Davenport as the The King, who was kind but still mixed goverment, religion and justice. Or Cedric Hardwicke as Frollo, the bad archdeacon (aka the guy with terrible hair cut), who makes his character detestable by working with his eyes when he is near Esmeralda, making you know all about his obscure thoughts. Just check the still. We could name it "My eyes are up here".

I'd like to end this post with a point that talks about human nature. When the people is jollilly watching the Hunchback being crowned king of fools, The King says: 

One shrinks from the ugly, yet wants to look at it. There's a devilish fascination in it. We extract pleasure from horror. 

And I think that's part of us. What makes show business and TV channels and newspapers covering stories of 'celebrities' and people that voluntarily expose themselves so succesful. What makes news channels give the most shocking news first. Maybe we're still a crowd laughing at a human being, finding some kind of wicked entertainment in others' misfortunes and lack of judgement.

---------------

• This entry is part of the CMBA Movies of 1939 Blogathon, hosted by Page and Becky. Check wonderful reviews of the other many great movies released that year, here.
• This film is available on Amazon ($5.49)
  
• You can check my review of Maureen O'Hara's autobiography here. I've also reviewed a bunch of her films including the great This Land is Mine also with Charles Laughton;  The Parent Trap, The Black Swan & Only the lonely. I also included her in my list of performers that should have won an Oscar.
• Remember that you can follow me on Twitter and Facebook :)