Caption it #5: Bogie and the diapers

So, guys, tell me...what's happening in this picture, what are they saying, what are they thinking or how would you name it?

You know, caption it!

Credits

Need to get inspired? Check the previous posts of this game. 

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?

Haikus # 8 & 9: "Key Largo" and "Leave her to heaven"

I didn't post my haiku yesterday, so I give you two for one :) Remember that yesterday I created the FB Fan Page for this blog, you can like it if you please (there or in the sidebar button). Well, here we go:

Credits: DoctorMacro

Key Largo (1948)

"Remember our first
date? A hotel, a storm
a kidnap, the Mob? "

Leave her to Heaven (1945)

"You shouldn't go sailing
with women hiding her look
behind dark glasses."

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

Movie Genres Workshop: Class #1 "Film Noir"

I didn't tell you that last Saturday I went to my first session of a Cinema Workshop about Movie Genres. It's given in a Hoyts movie theater and the assistants are 40 people of all ages. The first class was dedicated to "Film Noir" and I think that maybe you'd like to read my notes to refresh your knowledge or whatever. 

FILM NOIR 

• According to a radical vision Film Noir are just the American films from the 40s-50s. 
• Background: War and Postwar (negative vision about the world), Economic Crisis, Black Novel.

• Characteristics: 

·     Ambiguity in the way the story is approached.

·     Involves a crime.

·     The main character is a guy with his own moral code.  

·     Introduces the character of the femme fatale, a woman that leads the main character astray. They fall in love which changes their destinies. Love destroys the logic of the main character (Romanticism). 

·     Lust and greed as motivations.

·     Aesthetic: dark passages, use of the light (=Photography) as instrument. This would be an Ethical category, because it expresses something from the soul. 

• There are Expressionist characteristics in Film Noir coming from the European directors that emigrated to the US (ex. Fritz Lang). 

Examples of Film Noir: Double Indemnity, The Postman always Rings Twice.

Screening #1: Scenes from "The maltese falcon" (dir. John Huston)

Comments: We criticize remakes today, but this film was the third version of the story. This is the first main role for Bogie, who got it after George Raft declined to accept it. In the first scenes you can see how in a few lines the characters are described. The main character has his own moral code. 

Discussion about "The big sleep" (dir. Howard Hawks). He introduces a new element: femme fatale is a woman from the upper class, a class that has private vicious, an inner disintegration. This is also seen in "Chinatown" (dir. Roman Polanski). Also comments about how women in these films tended to use sex as a way to equal the cultural power of men and get what they want. 

Discussion about how actors can be type-casted: movies that show an actor in a different role are not likely to have commercial success. There are many movies that were good but today are not known because when they were released the audience didn't like it.

 Screening #2: "Laura" (dir. Otto Preminger). Scene when Laura arrives.

Comments: "Twin Peaks" and a movie from Pedro Almodóvar (sorry, I didn't get the name) have characters names inspired in this film. The action in this movie is on the dialogs (there are just two gun shots during the film). Through the lighting and the way the scene is composed the painting of Laura has its own presence. There's an oneiric element: Gene showing up while Dana is sleeping (comment about how in this movie the leading man has a woman name and the leading lady has a man name). There's also an element of necrophilia, the love for the dead people; this is also poetic, because Dana loves Gene above everything, even the logical explanations. Connection with "Vertigo" (dir. Alfred Hitchcock).

Screening #3: Scenes from "Gun Crazy" a.k.a. "Deadly is the female" (dir. Joseph H. Lewis)

Comments: Joseph H. Lewis was a director of B-movies, recently rescued by people like Scorsese and Tarantino. This movie initiates the sub genre of "couples that cross the country robbing banks and stores and shooting people"  (yeah, like "Bonnie and Clyde") This also inspired French movies like "Le mepris" (dir. Jean-Luc Godard) and "Badlands", a film by Terrence Malick. These kind of movies have different scenarios, they occur not only in the cities, but in open fields. Stars in John Dahl, the guy from "Rope" (dir. Alfred Hitchcock)

1960s, France: a group of filmmakers whose inspiration is between Nouvelle Vague and Film Noir adopt the codes from the American Film Noir. Their films take place in contemporary France. Important names: Jean- Pierre Melville, Jean-Luc Godard, Claude Chabrol. They also venerate movies from John Ford, Alfred Hitchcock and Orson Welles.

Screening #4: Scenes from "Le samourai" (dir. Jean-Pierre Melville)

Comments: Starring Alain Delon, French actor whose expressionless face worked fine for this movie (my only personal note: he must be from the same Acting School of Kristen Stewart). There are obvious codes taken from American Film Noir, like the way the guy dresses. 

Final comments (final for me, because the class extended beyond the official time and I had to leave). Some modern movies that contains elements of this genre: "Blade Runner" (dir. Ridley Scott), "The big Lebowski" (dir. Coen Bros.) and "Blood Simple" (dir. Coen Bros)

End of the notes.

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PS: Remember to choose your favorite director from the poll list on the sidebar.  

Psst..need Classic Hollywood jewelry?

Maybe you'd like to have "Deborah's Opal Affair" ( $170.00) ring from "An affair to remember"...

...or "Vivien's Southern Emerald" earrings ($155.00) from "Gone with the wind"...

...looking for a band? Maybe you'd like "Joan’s Diamond Stackable Band" ($270.00) from "Suspicion"...

Really, hollywoodroyaltycollection.com site is so much fun! They recreate jewelry used by Classic Actresses (and actors) in their films...and each piece is accompanied by interesting descriptions regarding the films and performers. The list includes: Barbara Stanwyck, Bette Davis, Carole Lombard, Ginger Rogers, Humphrey Bogart, Irene Dunne, Marlene Dietrich, Clark Gable and more!

Some of my favorites:

"Lombard's Champagne Wedding ring" ($145.00) from "Mr. a Mrs. Smith"... 

...and marvelous "Deborah's Pink Diamond Debut" ($150.00) from "The Hucksters"...

So go over there and share your faves with me :)

Poll Results: Ilsa stays with Rick :)

I know, I know, this poll was closed like a week ago, but I'm so lazy that I didn't comment the results. The complete options and their votes percentages:

a) Hold back your tears and go with Victor Laszlo (44%)
b) To hell with the cause, you stay with Rick (55%)
c) To hell with both, you start a new friendship with Captain Renault (0%)

...so this times love triumphs over moral commitments and Ilsa stays with Rick. Yay...?

NEW POLL!: You're Princess Ann from "Roman Holiday", you:

a) Abdicate and stay with Joe Bradley
b) Remain as Princess and leave Joe

Remember to vote on the sidebar.

Classic Films Comics

Since the post I was preparing this morning didn't turn out as I expected, here are some really funny comics I found yesterday. These were made by James Clayton from Reel Disappointing (you should check it):

LOL. Also, today I found this guest post over Kate Beatton's site (you should also check it: Hark! A Vagrant; her comics are about History, Literature and her life):

Do you know more comics about Classic Films?

Poll: So you're Ilsa Lund...

This my new super duper ingenious poll. 

The other day I watched "Casablanca" again and I thought: "If I was Ilsa, would I go with Victor Laszlo?". 

And then I thought "Hey, that's a good question to ask in my new super duper ingenious poll!". 

You're Ilsa Lund...you're standing in the airport... the plane has to go...Victor, your (kind of dull) husband is waiting...Rick is "thinking for both" and telling you you gotta go forever...So, you:

a) Hold back your tears and go with Victor Laszlo.

b) To hell with the cause, you stay with Rick.

c) To hell with both, you start a new friendship with Captain Renault.

Please, choose your answer in the SIDEBAR. Your comments/arguments are welcome.

PS: Remember, why are you writing your next piece of work using the same old Times New Roman or Arial, when you can use classy Ingrid Bergman's Handwriting Font?

Classic Hollywod Guide to how to react when you screw up a scene

Don't you love bloopers and outtakes?

I included in this video Bogie, Bette Davis, Carole Lombard, Claudette Colbert, Errol Flynn, Claude Rains, Kay Francis, Edward G. Robinson, Jane Wyman, George Brent, Merle Oberon, Patricia Neal, Mickey Rooney and more. Enjoy!

Top 25 actores clásicos favoritos (parte 2 y final)

(read the rest of the list/viene de acá)

13. Montgomery Clift 
(Edward Montgomery Clift )

Papeles favoritos: el del aprovechador en "The Heiress", el del aproblemado George Eastman en "A place in the sun", el del soldado en "From here to eternity" &  el del doctor que ayuda a Liz Taylor en "Suddenly last summer".

12. Charles Coburn 
(Charles Douville Coburn)

 Papeles favoritos: el de arrendatario que hace de Cupido en "The More the Merrier", el del millonario que quiere dejarle su herencia a la familia de un antiguo amor en "Has anybody seen my gal?", el del suegro comprensivo con Ginger Rogers en "Bachelor Mother", el de suegro poco comprensivo con Ginger Rogers en "Vivacious lady" & el de padre estafador en "The lady Eve".

11. Paul Newman 
(Paul Leonard Newman)

Papeles favoritos: el del reo que tiene "fallas de comunicación" con el carcelero en "Cool Hand Luke", el de Butch en  "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid", el del trabajador incendiario en de "Long Hot Summer", el del científico supuestamente traidor de "Torn Curtain",  el del descendiente de indios en "Hombre" & el del jugador de billar en "The hustler".

10. Robert Mitchum 
(Robert Charles Durman Mitchum)

Papeles favorito: El del maníaco-religioso-manos-tatuadas de "The night of the hunter", el del soldado que protege a una monja en "Heaven knows Mr. Allison" & el del trasquilador australiano profiado en "The sundowners".

9. Humphrey Bogart 
(Humphrey DeForest Bogart a.k.a. Boogie)

Papeles favoritos: el de Ricky Blaine en "Casablanca", el del director-amigo-de-Ava Gardner en "The barefoot contessa", el del capitán de barco de "To have and have not", el del ex soldado que no se decide a pelear contra los malos en "Key Largo", el del capitán de barco borracho en "The African Queen".

8. Charles Boyer

Papel favorito: El del maitre francés enamorado de "History is made at night", el malvado que quiere volver loca a la pobre Ingrid Bergman de "Gaslight" & el aprovechador reformado de "Hold back the dawn".

7. Robert Taylor
(Spangler Arlington Brough)

Papeles favoritos: el tipo noble de "Camille", el del soldado con una trágica historia amorosa en "Waterloo Bridge" & el romano que se enamora de una cristiana en "Quo Vadis".  

6. Gregory Peck 
(Eldred Gregory Peck)

Papeles favoritos: El del periodista enamorado de una princesa en "Roman Holiday", el de hombre pacífico en "The big country", el del abogado en "To Kill a Mockinbird", el de Francis Scott Fitzgerald en "Beloved Infidel" & el amnésico de "Spellbound".

5. Clark Gable 
(William Clark Gable)

Papeles favoritos: Rett Butler en "Gone with the wind", el del apostador reformado en "No man of her own" (protagoniza con quien se convertiría en su esposa, Carole Lombard),  el de marido en "Wife versus secretary", el de periodista en "It happened one night" y "Teacher's pet".

4. William Powell 
(William Horatio Powell)

Papeles favoritos: el de Nick Charles en "The Thin Man" y sus secuelas, el del vagabundo en "My Man Godfrey", el del cazador cazado en "Libeled Lady".

3. Errol Flynn 

(Errol Leslie Flynn)

Papeles favoritos: el del médico devenido en pirata de "Captain Blood", el del coolísimo Robin en "The adventures of Robin Hood", el del arriero devenido en sheriff de "Dodge City", el del arrojado general en "They Died with their Boots On" &  el de general enamorado de la reina y su reino en  "The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex".

2. Gary Cooper 
(Frank James Cooper)

Papeles favoritos: el sufrido y enamorado personaje basado en Francis Scott Fitzgerald de "The wedding night",  el inocente Long John Willoughby de "Meet John Doe", el soldado que se enamora de Marlene Dietrich en "Morocco", el del inocente heredero engañado por una periodista en "Mr. Deeds goes to town",  el del profesor nerd enamorado de una bailarina en "Ball of fire" & el  del brigadista sacrificado de "For whom the bell tolls".

1. Cary Grant 

(Archibald Alexander Leach)

Papeles favoritos: El del doctor-músico comprensivo de "People will talk", el del padre abnegado de "Penny Serenade", el de periodista enamorado de su ex en "His girl Friday", el del esposo a punto de terminar con la señora en "The awful truth", el del agente enamorado de Ingrid Bergman en "Notorius", el del playboy reformado-artista enamorado de una cantante con mala pata en "An affair to remember", el del joven que se da cuenta que ama a la hermana de su vacía novia en "Holiday" & el del hombre que quiere separarse de una malévola Kay Francis para casarse con Carole Lombard en "In name only".