The 10 SADDEST old movies (I've watched)

NOTE: This entry was reposted over MovieFanFare, becoming one of their most popular articles with nearly 1,000 comments :)

Well, you know them. You're watching them and you're thinking:

"Mother of god, life can be awful. Why people have to suffer so much! I'm not gonna cry, I'm not gonna cry. Think of something positive. Or something that makes you angry. Oh no, a tear is coming. I'm gonna cough to try to pass this heavy lump in my throat. Oh, what did she or he have to say that line? That's the saddest thing..."

Credits

Anyway, I sacrificed myself for you, and re-watched some of these films. I included movies in which the predominant feeling is sadness or those whose endings are very dramatic.

So, grab your tissues, here we go (warning: spoilers ahead):


10.- Les parapluies de Cherbourg (1964)
Plot: A girl and a boy fall in love and have a child but can't be together (review).
You can't hold your tears when...they say goodbye at the train station (watch).

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9.- Waterloo Bridge (1940)
Plot: Vivien Leigh thinks her boyfriend Robert Taylor is dead so she finds a socially rejected way to survive (mentioned in 5 movies in which tragedy was caused by chance).
You can't hold your tears when...the camera focus a little special object after some tragic event and then Robert remembers Vivien in the bridge (watch the ending).

8.- The Wedding Night (1935)
Plot: A writer (Gary Cooper) falls in love with a girl (Anna Stern) from a strict Pole family of farmers (review).
You can't hold your tears when...at the end, Gary looks out the window and "sees" the love of his life disappearing (watch a clip from the movie).

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7.- This Land Is Mine (1943)
Plot: Awesome Charles Laughton and Maureen O'Hara respectively play a coward teacher and his love interest in this World War II film (review).
You can't hold your tears when...Charles sees how a teacher he admired and respected is killed. But the worst part is the ending, one of the best fictional uses of the Declaration of Human Rights (watch).

6.- Camille (1936)
Plot: An impossible love between a courtesan (Greta Garbo) and Robert Taylor (listed in Favorite Movies).
You can't hold your tears when...Camille faces Lionel Barrymore and when Robert visits a "very weak" Camille in the last scene (watch the trailer).

5.- A star is born (1937)
Plot: After two actors marry, the success of their careers enter in a inversely proportional relationship (review and haiku).
You can't hold your tears when...the granny takes her granddaughter to the station. And when Fredric March embraces Janet Gaynor knowing it would be the last time and then he says "do you mind if I take just one more look?" (watch the second moment).

4.- Make Way for Tomorrow (1937)
Plot: An old couple (Victor Moore and Beulah Bondi) realize they have the worst children in the history of cinema (mention).
You can't hold your tears when...these people are humiliated and separated, which is practically the whole film (watch an example).

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3.- Three Comrades (1938)
Plot: After World War I, three German friends (Robert Taylor, Franchot Tone, Robert Young)  meet Margaret Sullavan and their lives change forever. Adapted by F. Scott Fitzgerald.
You can't hold your tears when...you watch the final scenes. Really. (here are some of them edited).

2.- The small one (1978)
Plot: A poor family have to get rid of their old donkey, a task that is entrusted to the kid (mention).
You can't hold your tears when...the last time I saw this one I cried my eyes out like the whole film, especially when the kid tries to cheer up his little animal and the ending (watch the whole film).

1.- Ever in my heart (1933)
Plot: Barbara Stanwyck marries a German before World War I (review).
You can't hold your tears when...the family faces tragic situations (I mean TRAGIC) and the ending (trailer).

Honorable mentions: Letter from an Unknown Woman (mini review), I Remember Mama (mention), Penny Serenade and Doctor Zhivago.

What do you think?

Caption it: Greta & the lion

New series! So if you're not reading this directly in the blog, come on in :)

Inspired by this feature of the Australian Open (and every instance in which this game was played since the beginning of time) I'm inviting you to caption crazy pictures from Classic Hollywood. 

The first ever is:

Be brave and participate! 

Ready? Well, before you go, please choose one of these options:

Thank you!

The 20 coolest on-screen couples from classic movies

'Cool' definition from Wordreference: fashionably attractive or impressive.

Here's my list of 20 couples that looked terrific together on screen, that complemented each other and had fun together all the movie (or until the script spoiled it all for them) or overcame difficult situations to be together and hopefully lived happily ever after.

In no particular order: 

Harry Morgan & 'Slim' Browning from To have and have not

Gilbert & Iris Henderson from The lady vanishes

Paul & Corie Bratter from Barefoot in the Park

Nicky Ferrante & Terry McKay from An Affair to Remember

Nick & Nora Charles from The Thin Man

Robin & Marian from The Adventures of Robin Hood

Sean Thorton & Mary Kate Danaher from The Quiet Man

Ben Quick & Clara Varner from The Long, Hot Summer

Capt. Daniel Craig & Lucy Muir from The Ghost and Mrs. Muir

Juan Herrera & Vance Jeffords from The Furies

C.C. Baxter & Fran Kubelik from The apartment

Joe Bradley & Princess Ann from Roman Holiday

Noah Praetorious and Deborah Higgins from People Will Talk

Leon and Ninotchka from Ninotchka

Longfellow Deeds & Babe Bennett from Mr. Deeds Goes to Town

Jane & Tarzan from the Tarzan movies with Johnny & Maureen.

Peter Joshua (or whatever his name is) and Reggie Lampert from Charade

Brian Hawke & 'Spitfire' Stevens from Against All Flags

Armand Duvall & Marguerite Gautier from Camille

Johny Case & Linda Seton from Holiday

What do you think?

"How much is it?" "A Garbo"

Sweden's Central Bank, or Riksbank, announced the motifs on the new bills for that country. A politician, a soprano female singer and Ingmar Bergman will be on the more valuable banknotes; a female writer and a musician will be printed on the less valuable ones. AND Greta Garbo will be like in the middle, in the 100 krona bill (like 16 dollars). The size of this new 100 krona bill is 133 x 66mm and it will be blue. So, now Garbo not only "Talks!" and "Laughs!" but "Garbo can get you something around 16 dollars!" :)

Note: this is not the real bill.

Just kidding, this is cool.

ClassicMovieRIMF #2: Harriet the Spy (1996)

Continuing with the Classic Movies References In Modern Films (sorry if you didn't get it from the title, but I had to shorten it someway...So, for the next posts, remember what ClassicMovieRIMF means), now I present you a clip from a movie I saw when I was a kid and I re-watched this week: Harriet the Spy.

Starring Rosie O'Donnell and Michelle Trachtenberg (never saw her in anything again), the movie is about a girl that loves to investigate and write down everything what she sees or hears, which brings her problems.

In this clip, the classic movie shown is...Mata Hari (1931). The best thing about this scene is that they seem to be having a blast at the cinema. Just press play and watch till the end, it will start in the interesting part. 

Hope you enjoyed. Wait for the next ClassicMovieRIMF!

 Previous ClassicMoviesRIMFs: 

• Audrey Hepburn and more classic actresses in S1mone (2002)

More Garbo films:

• Two faced woman (1941) or how cool was Greta
• Old movies vs. Remakes: The Painted Veil

Old movies vs. Remakes: The Painted Veil

Greta Garbo & Herbert Marshall | Naomi Watts & Edward Norton

The Painted Veil (1934) vs. The Painted Veil (2006)

Basic Story: A couple marries, but she’s not in love and deceives her husband. He’s a bacteriologist so they travel to China to help to fight an epidemic. There, they will have to face the serious problems in their relationship. Based on a novel by  W. Somerset Maugham. There's another version starring Eleanor Parker that I haven't seen. 

Face to face:

Development of the story: The new version is way better in this aspect. It’s longer, but never boring. This allows it to show gradually the many stages in the relationship of the couple; something that in my opinion the older version doesn't achieve. The older version makes the love triangle something primordial; while the second only shows it as a reflection of the state of the relationship and the cause of the couple’s departure to a more dangerous town. Plus, there are more thrilling scenes in the new movie and you really get the idea of the horrible epidemic the doctor is facing.

Performances: Both films have fine actors, the new version has Edward Norton and Naomi Watts; Greta Garbo and Herbert Marshall (and George Brent) play the leads in the older version. The story required the actors to be distant at the beginning and then, after facing difficulties together and start to admire the strengths of the other, finally show their warmth and open up.
Edward and Naomi had a better developed (and uncensored) script, so they could achieve a more emotional performance. Herbert seemed to be distant (and boring) the whole movie and overall he and Garbo didn't show the great disconnection the couple has at the beginning.
On an aside note, it’s interesting to notice that the actor chosen for the role of the coward lover in the last movie, Liev Schreiber, looks very much like George Brent.

Other aspects: The new version has a simply marvelous score by Alexandre Desplat (the main theme has stuck in my head for years), plus gorgeous locations.

And the winner is... The new version, although I wouldn’t give the older one such low ratings as Imdb’s users.

 Click to watch the winner film in Youtube.

Book shopping morning

 Don't you just love going from book shop to book shop trying to find a treasure (or at least something interesting)? 

Well, I love to do that. In fact, when I have time I prefer don't get any help from the salesclerk, and just get myself lost in the old stores, searching for something special. And if I found it that way, that means I have to buy it.

Today I went to our capital (I have to travel 1 hour to get there) to re-validate my student card used for transportation, and I decided to go to San Diego street, which is full of bookshops. 

I visited one that had some discounts. I found an old "Rin Tin Tin" book, but I preferred not to buy it. Like half an hour later, I went to the next shop, they had the same discounts, but the used books were all uninteresting. When I was leaving, I read something like "Harrison Ford" in a book from a shelf that was near the floor. I squatted and started reading the titles. Shirley Maclaine, My Lucky Stars (I have that one), one about James Dean, another about Rodolfo Valentino (I just found out that he had a Chilean lover, Blanca Errázuriz), Katharine Hepburn...and one about Grace by James Spada. I had heard of that one, so I decided to buy it. It wasn't veeeeery cheap, but it was in good conditions.

Then, I entered to an old vinyl store. It was great. I saw the soundtracks of "My fair lady", "Les parapluies de Cherbourg", "West Side Story" and...(damn, I so have Doris' memory right now). Well, of course I didn't buy anything there, because first, I don't have a turntable, and second, I didn't have enough money.

It was kind of late, and I had to be back at home for lunch, so I decided to enter to the last used books store. And this time I asked to the salesclerk 'do you have something about classic stars or cinema?'. And he said yeah. He started looking for them in his small store, and passed me the bio of Marlon, Marylin, Greta (the only problem with this one is that it was in German), Samuel Goldwyn, and one called La gente hablará (People will talk by John Kobal) which included interviews with Gloria Swanson, Ingrid Bergman, Howard Hawks, Mae West and some more. I noticed I didn't have much money left (LOL) so I just decided to buy the later. The man noticed my money issues, and gave me the book for half of price. I promised I'd go back to buy the one about Goldywn. He said he will save it for me. 

Oh, one more thing. Near the exit of the subway station they had installed a huge and beautiful carousel; it was so lovely and unexpected I wished I had my sketchbook and watercolor set with me.

"Two faced woman" (1941) or how cool was Greta

Two faced woman (George Cukor, 1941)

Who's in it: Greta Garbo + Melvyn Douglas + Constance Bennett

What's it about: An important magazine editor (Douglas) marries a free-spirited ski instructor (Garbo), but she's afraid to lose him so she creates a twin sister to bring him back...will that help?

The good: I liked this movie very much, even when I've read some negative comments about Garbo's last movie; she and Douglas had a marvelous chemistry on screen and simply because of that it's worth watching; Garbo is really funny in this movie, my gosh, loved the dance scene and this quote:

Dancer: [about the dance Garbo just invented] What is it?

Garbo: Well, it's a sort of combination. 

Dancer: Of what? The rumba and the conga?

Garbo: (thinking) No... it's the Chiqui and the Choca.

Dancer: What do they call it?

Garbo: Uuh, la Chiqui Choca.

LOL!! 

The bad: At the beginning Douglas' character changed his mind like every two seconds and that was kind of unbelievable and tiring; his relationship with Bennet's character wasn't very clear; the end could be better. 

Should I see it?: It isn't as good as "Ninotchka" and maybe the plot isn't very memorable, but it's a light and funny comedy worth watching .