Classic actors' last lines on film (part one?)

The screenwriter didn't know that he or she was redacting what would end being the last lines spoken by a Classic Star in a motion picture. That's a powerful thought.

I collected some of my favorite actors' last moments, in which I consider to be the first of a series of posts (fingers crossed). I included only their last proper films, because some of them did unfindable TV series or TV movies at the end of their careers. 

Carole Lombard: To be or not to be (1942)
I like the fact that her last scene and line is playful and cheerful. She's a festive bully.

REPORTER: And you, Mr. Tura. You played the real hero in this amazing play.
JOSEF: I did my best and I was very ably assisted by my colleagues. Thank you, my friends, for everything you did. As little as it may have been.
REPORTER: I am sure England will want to show its gratitude. What do you desire most, Mr. Tura?
JOSEF: Well, l--
MARIA: He wants to play Hamlet.
JOSEF: After all, we are in the country of William Shakespeare--
MARIA: He wants to play Hamlet.

Clark Gable & Marilyn Monroe: The misfits (1961)
I like the fact Marilyn last completed film is intense and well-acted. She deserved it I guess. I like their lines, they're trascendental and powerful. 

GAY: Well, I'm finished with it. It's... It's like ropin' a dream now. Just gotta find another way to be alive, that's all. If there is one any more. Perce, cut that mare loose for me, will you?
PERCE: Sure.
GAY (to Roslyn): Drive you back, if you want.
PERCE: Um, I'm pleased to have met you, Roslyn.
ROSLYN: Don't get hurt any more, will you, Perce?
GAY: See you around, Guido.
GUIDO: Where'll you be? Polishin' windshields? Makin' change in a supermarket? Try the Laundromat! They need a fella there to load the machines! Gay!
ROSLYN: I'll leave tomorrow. OK?
GAY: I bless you, girl.
ROSLYN: Gay, if there could be one person in the world...a child who could be brave from the beginning...I was scared to when you asked me. But I'm not so much now. Are you?
GAY: No.
ROSLYN: How do you find your way back in the dark?
GAY: Just head for that big star straight on. The highway's under it. It'll take us right home.

THE NEXT DIALOG = SPOILER (you've been warned )

Gary Cooper: The Naked Edge (1961)
This movie is very good and little known! I wrote about it in case you're interested. And I think that it's great that Gary's last film is a thriller, because it expanded his range of genres and allows you to see him in a very suffocating atmosphere, alongside Miss Kerr.

GEORGE: I was so sure it was Heath. I've condemned the wrong man.
MARTHA: So did I.

Vivien Leigh: Ship of fools (1965)
Ah, Vivien, intense and dramatic till the end.

MARY (to herself): Baby, you just haven't managed to grow up. Mrs. Treadwell of Murray Hill, Virginia. Now! You can paint your toenails green.You know how it ends, don't you? Alone. Sitting in a cafe with a paid escort.
(She cries. Tenny enters the room and kisses her)
MARY: Let me go. Let me go.
TENNY: Mrs. Treadwell. Excuse me. That greaser told me Cabin 14. Excuse me. Excuse me.
MARY: Get out! Get out! Get out!
TENNY: You know l'm sorry, l truly am sorry. l didn't know it l was just..
MARY: Pig!
(Mary starts hitting Tenny)
TENNY: Hey, what the hell?
MARY: Go on. Get out. Get out. Get out! Get out! Beast. Beast. Get out. Get out. No! No!

Bette Davis: Wicked stepmother (1989)
Uhm, I had never heard of this movie before. It seems that it's awful, but I like the novel line, very Bette-ish :) Seems that her voice can be heard after this scene, but it's her actual last physical appearance.

MIRANDA: I was reading a sexy novel.
JENNY: Hey Miranda, don't try any tricks. You can't hide it now. Inspection! I saw it. I saw it in here!
MIRANDA: You saw what?
JENNY: I looked at the window. Got you there!
MIRANDA: Jenny needs help. Boy, it's a terrible affliction.
JENNY: There was a cat in here, I can tell it: my upper lip it's still itching. I now what you did with it! You threw it out the window! Here kitty, kitty, kitty. Meow. I'm going to search every inch of this room.
(Door bell rings)
MIRANDA: Who do you suppose that is?
MAN: You woke up one of the neighbors.
MIRANDA: Priscilla.
MAN: Priscilla who?
MIRANDA: My daughter, Priscilla. She has come to visit.
JENNY: No.
MIRANDA: I wrote to her and asked her to come. You are going to love her.
(Magically disappears).

Audrey Hepburn: Always (1989)
Audrey played God in her last film. There is nothing else to add.

PETE: What do you want from me, Hap? If I'm really dead, how come I hurt so bad? What kind of deal is this? You said I was going back to be an inspiration. You never said I would feel what I'm feeling. You didn't tell me that I would...see Dorinda. What do you really want from me?
HAP: We gave you a chance to say: "I'm glad I lived. I'm glad I was alive. Now it's my turn to give you a hand. Let me give you what I had." But I also sent you back to settle with the one you love. I sent you back to say goodbye. Until you do that, she won't be free. And neither will you.
PETE: I'm not ready to say goodbye.
HAP: You're such a good man, Pete. We don't send back the other kind. But you still have to learn that to gain your freedom, you have to give it. So go find out.

Katharine Hepburn: Love affair (1994)
The grandma (Janou/Ginny) scene in these films is always soooo emotive. I like the fact that Katharine was the last granny and that it's a goodbye scene. 

GINNY: Five o'clock. You must go?
TERRY: Yes. May I?
GINNY: Thank you. Thank you. I wore this when I was married.
TERRY: Beautiful.
GINNY: Well, off you go. These petals are supposedly the hands of a Polynesian princess. It's been hanging around for 62 years and it's still holding together. I wish I could say the same for myself.
MIKE: We'll see you soon.

What was your favorite moment? 

William Wyler Blogathon: A poem about "Roman Holiday"

If I tell you that Roman Holiday is one of my favorite movies ever, that would be no news, right?

The name of my blog is Joe Bradley's address in Rome, Via Margutta 51; I made a video tribute; I included it in my list of 8 Classic Movies I can wath over and over; once I "designed" a videogame based on the film; I've made polls about it and asked you what would you do if you were Ann; the other day a friend returned from Europe and brought me this postcard:

THANKS PAMELA :)

Yesterday I watched Roman Holiday for the umpteenth time, trying to find a new angle for this post. I concluded that only a personal approach to this famous movie would be a contribution. So I had the Titanic-sized nerve to write a poem; you know my first language is Spanish, so I hope you can forgive its basic form :)

Ready? Here we go:

ROMAN HOLIDAY

A master craftsman of cinema they called him,
perfect visual stories Wyler would trim;
he went to Italy and shot in black and white,
even when he had Technicolor on his side.

It was about the day in Rome a princess spent,
(no duties, no speeches, no political events)
with a reporter trying to go back to the States
by getting a juicy scoop (he even made a bet!).

Blacklisted and arrested was the talented man,
who wrote the script about the princess Ann;
an Academy Award was announced,
but his name, Dalton Trumbo, was never pronounced.

Finding the main actors was hard:
Cary Grant didn't want the part,
Jean Simmons was unavailable,
Wyler thought she wasn't replaceable!

But a young actress did a screen test;
it shows a smiling girl stylishly dressed,
talking about her background and the war,
this was a presence no one could ignore.

Her name above the title requested Gregory Peck:
and "introducing Audrey Hepburn" it finally said,
her charming interpretation was a success,
it got the golden award and many articles on the press.

And Rome ("by all means, Rome") was beautifully shown,
the Trevi Fountain, the Mouth of Truth, the Pantheon,
the Colosseum, Ponte Sant'Angelo and much more
were captured forever for the public to adore.

The love of the young couple was impossible,
so the way Trumbo and Wyler ended it was responsible:
Joe voluntarily loses his bet and Ann is irremediably gone,
only memories can make them go on.

(Oh, and Ann, Joe was right:
 it was Shelley who wrote the quote you cited that night,
the first time you spent alone with a man,
when you were at Via Margutta 51)

Written for the William Wyler Blogathon, hosted by Richard Finch of The Movie Projector. Please, do yourself a favor and check the other participant's entries.

Horseathon: Audrey, Guipago and "The Unforgiven" (1960)

Sometime ago I wrote a post about the special bond Audrey Hepburn shared with a little deer. Now, for Page's Horseathon, I decided to investigate a bit more about The Unforgiven (1960) and the serious accident Audrey --29 years old at the time-- had while riding a horse for the movie.

This process taught me basically two awesome things:

a) The Unforgiven is a good movie: I always remind it as one of the weakest films from Audrey, but it's a fine (and her only) western. I know even John Huston, the director, named it as his least favorite film, but I completely changed my mind after this second screening. And my parents loved it.

b) Audrey was gracious and brave even in the worst moments in her life: we all know what a kind human being was she, and I love the fact that I've never found anything mean coming from her. On the contrary, all the details in this story are inspiring.

I'm gonna tell the events based on the stories that appeared in different newspapers at the time. 

THE MOVIE

Reluctantly directed by John Huston, based on a novel by Alan LeMay, starring Burt Lancaster (who also co-produced), Audrey Hepburn and Lillian Gish, The Unforgiven tells the story of a frontier family, the Zacharys. They have to deal with a suddenly unfolded secret: the adopted girl (Audrey) was a survivor of a Kiowa tribe massacre. It shows how racist people can be and how vulnerable are affections when such matters arise.

The movie was filmed in Durango, Mexico. The place, as described by St. Petersburg Times in 1959:

"The site is ideal, except that occasional winds sometimes carry the sounds from the home radios, miles across the bowl-like valley. These sounds interfere with the film shooting. Producer James Hill therefore purchased a series of time spots on the local station XEDU, guaranteeing two hours of daily silence during which Huston directs Lancaster and Miss Hepburn in the tender love scenes"

And indeed the movie has great sequences in desertic lands, especially one on which Burt Lancaster and one of his brothers are looking for a mysterious man during a sand storm. Even when the portrayal of Native Americans is not very accurate, the confrontation scenes are exciting and memorable. For example, I really like the moment in which, during a tense recess of the fight, the natives start playing their magic music and Burt makes Lillian play their piano. This is more than guns and arrows, this is a cultural clash.

For a stampede scene, Huston requested 2000 head of cattle, coming from different parts of Mexico. The Southeast Missourian informed that the stampede - that occurs over the top of the family's cabin- left no injury to one head of cattle, despite the fact that some of them caved in through the roof of the house.

But the crew didn't have the same luck. Three people were killed in a plane crash and another person almost drown.

Sadly, serious complications were going to keep happening.

THE HORSE

In the film, Audrey owns a beautiful horse, Guipago. Mel Ferrer, Audrey's husband at the time, described the animal this way:

"It's a good horse. It's a beautiful little Arabian stud that got out of Cuba just ahead of Batista"

According to the Schenectady Gazette, the stallion's real name was Diablo, which means devil in Spanish. The horse has three important scenes: at the beginning Audrey Hepburn rides it through the lands, jumping a fence, and meeting a mysterious man that comes from far away to tell the secret. Then, she rides it to meet Burt Lancaster, her ""brother"". Later, the animal is stolen by the mysterious man and ridden to escape from the Zacharys.

While filming the movie, Audrey insisted in riding it herself and that was a brave decision: she had developed a fear at the age of 11 after a horse threw her. Ernest Anderson, spokesman for the film's producer told the Sarasota Journal:

"She had conquered her fear of horses, and she insisted on doing it despite the fact that we had a double to do all the riding scenes for her"

Mel Ferrer later explained that:

"Audrey had an accident on a horse when she was 11. She broke her collarbone. When we were living in Rome making War and Peace I got her to ride again and she got completely over her fear"

But she was going to relive that experience. And this time it would be worse: she was several months pregnant.

THE ACCIDENT

On Wednesday, January 28, 1959, Audrey was galloping the Arabian stallion along a river bank. Because a camera trouble developed, someone yelled "Cut!". The horse stopped abruptly and Audrey pitched over its head onto hard ground. Ernest Anderson, the spokesman, said she seemed to bounce two or three times and landed on her back. She was unconscious for five minutes and doctors wouldn't permit her to be moved for two hours.

The media all over the world started to inform about the accident. There are different versions of the injuries Audrey had, because there were many exams. The first information was that she suffered two fractured vertebrae; then, they informed that she had fractured four bones in her back, and described the injuries as "severe" and "painful". Doctors said she was unable to rest, sleep or eat.

Her personal doctor, Howard Mendelson, was called to check her and was accompanied by Mel Ferrer. A few days later, Audrey flew back to to their Beverly Hills home on an ambulance plane. The Miami News added that Audrey had a special nurse: Sister Luke, the religious woman she portrayed (and met) in The Nun's Story decided to take of her in Los Angeles.

The filming of the movie was postponed a month, until March 6.

JUST BEING AUDREY

There are so many details that show what a great person she was, that I'm dedicating a whole section to this point. Here we go:

• The Evening Independent reported that the first thing she said when she recovered consciousness after the fall was "What did I do wrong?". 
• Her doctor said she seemed to be worried about others members of the cast and technicians (because of the  cancellation of the shooting). 
• She kept saying she was "perfectly all right". But Mel Ferrer noted "She's in pain every minute. She won't say it and won't admit it".
• She never blamed the horse or the crew: 

"It wasn't the horse's fault. I was riding bareback and had nothing to hang onto except his mane - not even a bridle" she explained. She also said she had "fallen in love with the horse". 

• She always maintained her high spirits: besides always assuring she was fine and that it only hurt when she laughed ("So don't say anything funny!"), she was kind with the people around and the press. She waved and smiled from her stretcher; vowed that she was going to ride the horse again (but she couldn't because of insurance regulations) and even sent a note to the Casa Blanca Hotel, the Mexican place where she gathered with the other actors: 

THE MISCARRIAGE

And just as scheduled, the filming started again in March. Audrey had started taking her first steps two weeks after the accident and was almost recovered.

Sadly, on May 28, shortly after shooting was completed, Mel Ferrer told the press in Switzerland --where they had moved-- that Audrey had suffered a miscarriage and was confined to bed. There had been reports on the subject two weeks before that date and Mel confirmed them:

"I regret it is true. Audrey has been in the hospital and came home last Friday"

The doctors ordered the actress to stay quiet for another two months. The accident she had in Durango was always cited as the cause of the miscarriage. Audrey was devastated and blamed herself.

SEAN

But before 1959 ended, Mel and Audrey were happy to announce they were expecting a child. The couple decided to take all the possible measures so everything went fine. Audrey gave up her film work until after the child's birth on the advice of a physician.

Sean Hepburn Ferrer was born on July 17, 1960.

"I'm sure it's wonderful to have a baby the first year you are married. But when you want a baby so much and wait years...then lose a child....the joy is impossible to describe when one does arrive" Audrey would say years later.

With that happy note, I end this story about Audrey, Guipago and The Unforgiven. Be sure to check the other posts written for this Horseathon over My Love of Old Hollywood.

Happy Birthday Audrey!!!

Yes, I know you all know, but I just wanted to say happy birthday to one of my favorite actresses ever, a splendid human being, Miss Audrey Hepburn. 

Source

I think the best way I can pay a tribute to her is that you leave this entry knowing something you didn't know before about her life and career. So I'll try to introduce you to some of my posts about her:

In Audrey I wrote a personal post about how I became a classic film lover because of her and why I admire her so much; then I chose her as my favorite actress and talked about how perfect she is in The Nun's Story and Two for the road.

For some reason, I haven't written a post about her complete filmography, but I'm very proud of my defense of Paris when it sizzles, a movie even she disliked. I also wrote about the lovely things from "How to steal a million" I had forgotten.

Also about her films, but from a different angle, I participated in a Movie Haiku Contest with a poem about Breakfast at Tiffany's (I ended as runner-up...with another haiku) and also shared a clip from my "Wait Until Dark" failed stop motion project:

After DorianTb asked me about Pippin, Audrey's deer, I did a super investigation and shared it with you. I learned a lot.

Because I always loved her handwriting, I made a digital font and shared it. The response from the fans is still awesome (but, for some reason, it only works on PC).

Books? Not many, but I reviewed the lovely "Just Being Audrey" by Margaret Cardillo. I also shared my special edition of War and Peace, illustrated with stills from the movie.

Finally, Audrey was part of my Gift Guide for classic movie fans with (a lot of) imagination. 

Here's looking at you, kid.

Gift Guide for classic movie fans with (a lot of) imagination

Christmas is coming and you don't know what to give to that special, super imaginative classic film fan? Or to other people beside yourself? Well, Via Margutta 51 has an answer to all your prayers! Here's a list of very special gifts you can buy...with a massive ammount just a bit of imagination.

- Do you want to start the day with a little morning exercise? Well, choose this special offer: tennis classes with super stars. Oh, you know how to play? Well, play a doubles match! Just pick your partner and your rivals: Errol Flynn, Carole Lombard, Judy Garland, Mickey Rooney, Kate Hepburn, Chaplin, Paulette Goddard, Douglas Fairbanks, Ginger Rogers, Barbara Stanwyck, Jimmy Stewart...well, practically any star in Hollywood!

- Maybe you want something a little wilder? Well, choose this horse back riding trip guided by Gary Cooper & John Wayne! Besides riding with such amazing people, this option includes a visit to the ranches of Barbara Stanwyck & Robert Taylor, Gable & Lombard or Joel & Frances McCrea!! (imagination, people, imagination).

- Oh, oh, you want something even more exciting....Then the kart racing option is for you! Enjoy a  super fun (and super safe) karting session with Jimmy Dean, Paul Newman & Steve McQueen! (And yes, you can pick this option just to watch them...for a whole day).

- Love the sea? Well, Errol Flynn, Bogie & Bacall and Orson Welles are waiting for you! Join them in a super sunny and fun sailing adventure. This special offer includes swimming lessons with Johnny Weissmuller & Esther Williams. Don't miss it!

- Do you prefer quieter activities? Do you love chatting with amazing people? Well, be part of this Sewing & Knitting session with Bette Davis, Sylvia Sidney, Joanne Woodward, Kate & Audrey Hepburn, Doris Day, Maureen O'Hara and everyone who wants to join.

- Want to learn some awesome moves? Then pick our dancing lessons with Ginger, Fred, Gene Kelly, Shirley Temple, James Cagney, Eleanor Powell, and more!! This is an offer you can't resist!

- Do you have a kitchen but you don't know what to do in there? Do you want to learn how to prepare very special dishes? The cooking session with people like Marlene Dietrich, Vincent Price, Joan Crawford, Dinah Shore & Marilyn Monroe is for you!

-Want to learn a new, exciting language? French with Charles Boyer, Catherine Denueve, Alain Delon, Maurice Chevalier...or Gene Kelly? Dutch with Audrey Hepburn? Swedish with Ingrid Bergman or Greta Garbo? German with Marlene Dietrich? Italian with Rossano Brazzi or Sophia Loren? Whatever you want, we have an actor for you!

- Do you need a fashion expert? We have two people that will go shopping with you and advice you in a super professional (but very kind) way: Audrey Hepburn & Grace Kelly! Don't miss this unique opportunity! Special gifts and discounts are included!

- Do you need an amazing activity for a special evening? Viv & Larry and Katharine Hepburn & Spencer Tracy will act in an exclusive theatrical performance, just for you and your friends! Do we really need to convince you?

 - Don't you just love music? Well, pick this all-star offer and enjoy a whole night of the best music: Frank Sinatra, Judy Garland, Doris Day, Barbra Streissand, Irene Dunne, Maurice Chevalier, Julie Andrews, Deanna Durbin, Marni Nixon (so she gets some recognition) and a lot of other singers to choose from our catalog! This offer includes a duet with the artist you want!

- Are you stressed? Depressed? Or you just you need something to cheer up? How would you like to be part of a game night hosted by William Powell & Myrna Loy? Would you like playing charade with funny guests like Lucille Ball, Cary Grant, Rosalind Russel, Red Skelton, Una Merkel, Bob Hope, Eve Arden, Chaplin, the Marx Brothers...? You know what to do, the lines are opened.

(Jean Arthur's confirmation is pending).

- Are you just dying to go to a Hollywood party hosted by Marion Davies at Hearst Castle but you don't really like Mr. Hearst? Well, pick this super option because he's not invited! But everybody else in Hollywood is!! This is one of the most expensive offers, but it's totally worth it! We assure you this is a night you won't forget.

(And if you contact us in the next few minutes, Edith Head will design your costume!)

- This is the last offer! Enjoy a new version of the Hollywood Canteen, hosted by Bette Davis and with the participation of special guests like Cary Grant, Greer Garson,  Rita Hayworth, Gary Cooper,  Don Ameche, the Barrymores, Olivia de Havilland, Irene Dunne, and everyone in this list! Invite your friends, invite everyone you want and be part of one of the most special evenings ever!

Which offer would you choose?

Things from "How to steal a million" I had forgotten

I know, how could I forget this little 1965 Autobianchi Bianchina Convertible (nope, I'm not a car expert, I just visited the awesome Internet Movie Cars Database). I need this car, I know with it I would finally get my license and overcome my parking fears.

This scene is the closest Audrey got to work with Hitch in a movie. Well, besides that unmade movie called No Bail for the Judge, from which Audrey withdrew (read more about it).

I had forgotten the super fun lines everyone delivers in this film! A few examples:

Simon Dermott: There's the bathroom, take off your clothes.
Nicole Bonnet: Are we planning the same sort of crime?

Charles Bonnet: This tall, good-looking ruffian with blue eyes, he didn't, er, molest you in any way, did he?
[Nicole is staring off dreamily]
Charles Bonnet: Well, did he?
Nicole Bonnet: Not... much.

Nicole Bonnet: I can't drive a stolen car!
Simon Dermott: Same principle, four gears forward, one reverse.

Nicole Bonnet: I didn't want to keep you waiting, so I got engaged to him. Is it alright? Am I on time?
Simon Dermott: Perfectly. In fact, we have ten more minutes, so if you want to go back and marry him?

Simon Dermott: [about to see Nicole to a taxi] Just one more tiny favour: like an idiot I forgot to wear gloves on the job. I may have left some fingerprints. Be an angel. Before you go to bed, just give the frame of the painting a little wipe with a clean cloth, ok?
Nicole Bonnet: Certainly. Anything else? You wouldn't like a forged passport or some counterfeit money or...

Nicole Bonnet: Your arm is much better.
Simon Dermott: Oh no no, it hurts, it hurts.
Nicole Bonnet: It's the other arm.
Simon Dermott: The infection is spreading.

Tuxedo Tuco! I always remember Elli Wallach as the bandit from The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, so it's quite a change seeing him all dressed up and speaking to super "modern" dictaphones in his car.

I also thought about how he's still working (his part in The Holiday is memorable) while it's been almost 20 years since Audrey passed away.

Click to enlarge.

And Nicole's grandmother looks like Audrey in My fair lady :)

The rest, I had not forgotten. The classy musical score, Audrey's underrated timing for comedy, the marvelous cast, Paris, etc, etc, etc...

Do you like How to steal a million?

The 10 scariest scenes from old movies (I've managed to watch)

Boooooooooooo!!!...did I scare you? No? Bummer, this article explained me that I should.

Anyway, these are the 10 creepiest scenes from the somewhat scary movies I've been able to watch. You know I'm a coward.

10. Whatever Happened to Baby Jane: Joan Crawford gets a yummy lunch, made with lots of love from Bette Davis.

9. Suddenly, Last Summer: Elizabeth Taylor tells how her cousin Sebastian really died [sorry, the clip is not complete...but you know what happened to him]

8. Cape Fear (my review): The family is waiting for criminal Robert Mitchum to attack any minute.

[SCENE]

7. The Devil-Doll: Creepy concept, humans transformed in dolls and used to steal and kill...by Lionel Barrymore in drag.

6. Nosferatu: The whole movie is terribly scary, so I just chose the part when Hutter finds out that Orlok sleeps in a freaking coffin!

5. The Innocents: Deborah Kerr plays hide-and-seek with the creepy children she's in charge of...and someone or something appears on a window...

4. The Fly (my review): OMG, this film. I chose the ending, when the doctor is trapped and asks for help with his tiny voice.

3. Psycho: Anthony Perkin's horrible secret is revealed.

2. Wait until dark: Blind Audrey Hepburn thinks the fight with a sadistic criminal is over... (The moment starts at 01.17 in case you want to skip the explanation...oh, and you can check my stop motion version of this moment)

1. The Night of the Hunter: Robert Mitchum appears inside the house where Lillian Gish is protecting the children...and then he escapes screaming like a wild animal. Or a creature from hell.

(There's no video for this exact scene).

BONUS: My 7-year-old self picked this short film from Disney:

HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYBODY!

I love when classic actors appear on the front pages

TRANSLATION: The mythical Audrey Hepburn returns to Rome with an exhibition of her life in that city

The news of the exhibition Audrey A Roma, that kicked off today in...well, Rome, made it to the front page of one of the most important newspaper here in Chile.

I'd love to go! They're gonna be showcasing awesome pictures and items (just realized that the Vespa was green...I always imagined it light blue) and rare videos. Part of the proceeds will go to the UNICEF.

More details at the always informative The Fabulous Audrey Hepburn.

Audrey, Capote and Mel Ferrer: "Heartaches"

Truman Capote, Audrey Hepburn, Mel Ferrer
Song: "Heartaches" by Ted Weems & His Orchestra
Source: Nate D. Sanders Auctions

A day like this, 50 years ago, a film called Breakfast At Tiffany's was released.

This post is part of the Photo[graphs] + Music Series.

PS: To hear the song, you must be reading this on my site :)

CMBA Guilty Pleasures Movie Blogathon: "Paris when it sizzles"

These are selected opinions of reviewers who apparently didn't enjoy this movie and make of Paris When It Sizzles (1964; Richard Quine) a guilty pleasure:

• "Paris when it stinks"
• "Beyond stupid. A waste of time. Avoid."
• "Incredible mess"
• "Give this one a pass."
• "Nothing sizzles" 
• "No style or substance"
• "3/10 is being generous."
• "A big disappointment in all departments"
• "Oh dear!"
• "Paris When it Fizzles- This Sizzler A Dud"
• "One of the worst films ever"
• "Why did I buy it ? It was part of a set."
• "I gave this one ten minutes"
• "Paris when it ... SNORES!"

All quotes from Imdb reviewers who didn't like this story --adapted by George Axelrod from a French story/movie-- about a writer (William Holden) that has only a few days to finish a script helped by his new assistant, typist Audrey Hepburn. A film-within-the film: any idea William has becomes the movie you're watching, even if it's crazy or developed by a drunk character.

Here are a few more quotes:

• "Makes fun of classic movies, when the film itself is not very good"
• "The script is bad"
• "At the end there are two stupid scripts: the fictional and the real one"
• "Lacks fluidity"
• "Some scenes are unimportant but really long"

Those are from an unpublished review written by...me.

Yes, I hated the film the first time I saw it. I also knew this one was Audrey's least favorite movie of her filmography and that some years later she almost didn't film Two for the road: she was done with movies that experimented with the storytelling. I had also read that William Holden was drinking heavily during the filming of this movie and had to enter an alcoholic clinic.

Everything about it was bad.

Until it wasn't.

The third time I saw this film I started watching it from a new point of view: here we had a powerful studio, Paramount, plus several stars making fun of themselves. They were all laughing at the way movies are made; showing how obvious the business in which they worked can be when it's made for commercial purposes, how superficial famous people can be...

Everything started to make sense. Audrey didn't mind the lines that made fun of her movies, like Breakfast at Tiffany's and My fair lady; William and Tony Curtis didn't mind playing parts in which, for example, they made clear how important looks are for leading actors, and how narcissist they can be. And that's awesome, it's like saying: "hey, don't take us too serious, this is all about pretending and having fun".

The dialog is filled with movie techniques cliches, exaggerated to made them obvious. And because William Holden is writing a screenplay, there are cliches from the main title to the end. I love, for example, how William describes the opening credits of his new movie, The girl who stole the Eiffel Tower:

Superimpose: ''An Alexander Meyerheim production''. Cut to the Eiffel Tower. The main title.The trumpets segue into the inevitable title song. Maybe we can get Sinatra to sing it. There follows an interminable list of other credits acknowledging the efforts of all the quote little people unquote, whom I shall graciously thank in my acceptance speech at the Academy Awards.

Or how he explains to Audrey how a fade out works:

Over the years, the audience has been conditioned to understand that when a scene fades away, like an old soldier, before their very eyes, and another scene gradually appears to take its place, a certain amount of time has elapsed.

Or what a kiss really is in the commercial movie business:

The final, earth-moving, studio-rent-paying, theatre-filling, popcorn-selling...kiss.

The list goes on and on and you actually learn something about screenwriting process.

With director Richard Quine.

Besides the fun provided by desconstructing a movie script, Audrey and William are a delight to watch together. Knowing about their impossible love during the filming of Sabrina, it was nice to see them working in a fictional hotel in sunny Paris. Even when Audrey didn't like the film, she called it "a joy to make". And even when William said of the first day he arrived to Paris: "I realized that I had to face Audrey and I had to deal with my drinking. And I didn’t think I could handle either situation", they seem at ease and relaxed.

Despite what some reviewers have said, I think Audrey --dressed and "perfumed" by Givenchy here too-- had a great timing for comedy, I love the way she delivers her lines, and how she responded to the scenes which required physical comedy. Because everything was a parody, she  exaggerated her movements, especially in the sequence where, drunk, her character starts to invent a parallel story. Vampires, horse races, aviators, everything was included in her crazy sequence, maybe the most criticized of the film. I found it hilarious.

William as a vampire...

..seconds later the action takes place in the sky...

All the genres conventions are parodied in Paris When It Sizzles: detective stories, horror movies, slapstick, romance, etc etc. For example, if the next frame, a man and woman in bed, fades out...

...it obviously means...that they were playing Parcheesi!

I also loved the bits about the French New Wave, movies where, according to the screenwriter, nothing happens.

Audrey aka Gaby: The picture's terribly interesting. Very avant-garde. About people who go to this party and decide not to play Scrabble. lt was called The Scrabble Game Will Not Take Place. His next one's about a girl who won't have a birthday party - Blow Out No Candles. Roger believes what's important on screen is what doesn't happen.

There are great cameos: Marlene Dietrich and Mel Ferrer; supporting players include Tony Curtis and Noel Coward; Frank Sinatra sings the title (literally) The girl who stole the Eiffel Tower; there's a song by Fred Astaire that introduces a tong-in-cheek dance sequence that's abruptly interrupted because this one is not a musical...

Tony Curtis as an egocentric Method actor (video)...

Marlene as...Marlene Dietrich.

George Axelrod, who also wrote the screenplay for Breakfast at Tiffany's, included a crazy party scene here too. Although it's not as memorable as the one in B@t, it has some great moments and costumes:

Mel Ferrer as Dr. Jekyll...

...and then as Mr. Hyde...

Another great thing of this film is the music, although it doesn't have a great presence throughout the movie. It was composed by Nelson Riddle and I think it captures the light spirit of the film. One of the themes that stand out is Gabrielle (hear)

TCM said of this movie "Over the years, however, the film has earned a reputation as a guilty pleasure for those who enjoy in-joke movie spoofs and an absurdist storyline played out against the glorious backdrop of the City of Light".

I don't even feel guilty anymore :) In my opinion, Paris When It Sizzles was ahead of its time and therefore, underrated and a commercial failure. I think of it as an antecedent of films like Airplane! and Monty Python's movies, only classier.

So, yes, maybe this movie is a mess. But a delightful and sunny mess, if you decide to relax, give it an opportunity and go "absolutely ape" watching how these unforgettable people enjoy living.

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Written for the CMBA Guilty Pleasures Movie Blogathon.Check the rest of the entries here.

PS: It's funny that writer George Axelrod provided another guilty pleasure  to this blogathon :)