Movies Floating at the Top of Consciousness

This was a friend's post on Facebook. (My list follows, with thoughts.)

Movies Floating at the Top of Consciousness Rules: Don't take too long to think about it and don't feel you need to actually do this. It's just for fun. Fifteen films you've seen that will always stick with you. First fifteen you can recall.

1. Harold & Maude
2. Love Actually
3. Wuthering Heights
4. Life is Beautiful
5. The Big Lebowski
6. Modigliani
7. Fight Club
8. Train Spotting
9. Truly Madly Deeply
10. Fargo
11. Priscilla, Queen of the Desert
12. Saturday Night Fever
13. O Brother Where Art Thou
14. L.A. Stories
15. The Hours

Nice list, with some real surprises for me. Here's mine

1. It's a Wonderful Life
2. Wristcutters: A Love Story
3: The Thomas Crown Affair (McQueen, not Brosnan)
4. Barefoot in the Park
5. Key Largo
6. Babette's Feast
7. The Day the Earth Stood Still
8. A Clockwork Orange
9. North by Northwest
10. The Virgin Spring
11. Winter Light
12. Groundhog Day
13. Fiddler on the Roof
14. Rosenkrantz and Gildenstern are Dead
15. The Wizard of Oz
addendum: Shadowlands

Now that I look at this, I see that only one of mine was made within the last ten years. What's up with that? After I made this list, other films kept coming to mind that I wished I'd listed, but they werent first in my mind. What does that say about me?

There isnt a single Woody Allen film listed. Only two Bergmans, one Hitchcock, and one Neil Simon. Hmm...

So what made these the first to come to mind when I've enjoyed so many movies recently? I cant break it down. Some are comedies. Some are musicals. Others are action/drama. Where's Star Wars? I didnt list any of the Aliens or Terminator series. There are no westerns. (High Noon? The Searchers? Nevada Smith? Stagecoach?) Nothing from Kenneth Branagh? What about The Blues Brothers? I did cheat and squeeze Shadowlands into an addendum, but there are four or five other Anthony Hopkins and/or Emma Thompson pieces that will be with me forever.

I wonder if there might be some kind of subliminal link from each to the next. You know. A little spark that said,"Oh, that reminds me of ......".

Well, whatever the connection, you now know of 31 movies that I and a friend have watched. I'm not recommending all of them, you understand. Nearly half of them werent mine. The sixteen that are simply came to mind in that order. Just because I recall a thing doesnt mean I think you should see it. A lot of what I watch is junk, like reading comic books or listening to random conversations in a restaurant.

Rubberduckzilla!!! and "I Walked with a Zombie"

Yup! That's Rubberduckzilla. Thanks to my friend Kelly for this.

I Walked with a Zombie

"skewed" (but not what you might think)

Released- 1943

Producer- Val Lewton

Director- Jacque Tourneur

Writers- Curt Siodmak and Ardel Wray

Stars- Christine Gordon, Frances Dee, Tom Conway, James Ellison, Edith Barrett

This is a film you have to see. Yes, it's old. Yes, it's in black and white. Yes, it's barely over an hour long. Yes, it is brilliant.

I'd probably say that about any Val Lewton film, but this is one of my special favorites. You'll remember Cat People, The Curse of the Cat People and The Leopard Man. Each of these brought something unusual to the screen. IWwaZ is no exception. There is so much going on in this short little piece that it's hard to explain.

What I love about this movie:

The cinematography is exemplary. Some scenes are beyond any expectation. For example, the night scene in which Betsy is leading Jessica through the darkness and they happen upon the tall, motionless, seemingly emaciated zombie. The moment when he waits, then turns and walks into the darkness is a tremendous shot.

The direction of Jacque Tourneur. Through his direction, this piece maintains a measured pace that brings the viewer along carefully, not fitfully or hurriedly, as we might expect. Also, he is able to control the personalities of his characters. For instance, in the scene I just mentioned any other movie would have sent Betsy screaming and running. In this film, she keeps her head and continues on, as though it was to be expected (which it probably was). It is this contra-intuition that keeps us in the piece.

The Singer. Although it might seem campy, this character is key to the psychology of the film. He brings commentary into the piece, sharing feelings that might not otherwise be communicated.

The final scene. I wont talk about details, but it is poignant and moving, certainly unexpected, yet unquestionably appropriate for this film.

Despite its title, this is an art film that can be appreciated by a wide ranging audience. Even if you dont like horror movies, or art films, or movies with singing in them, you'll find something that resonates with you in this one.

Interestingly, it's the only credit film appearance Christine Gordon (Jessica Holland) ever made. It appears that she also had small, uncredited parts in a few other movies, but this was her most important role. Of course, it wasnt a difficult role and could have been played by any stunningly beautiful woman, but she did it in a way that doesnt seem forced or wooden.

Here's a clip from Turner Classic Movies. It's the scene I was talking about earlier.

Enjoy this one. It comes double packed with The Body Snatcher, which I'll talk about another time.

Why am I doing this?

I seem to see a lot of movies. Being a night person, I'm usually up until 1:00 AM or so. There arent a lot of other things to do that time of night. Now that we have On Demand movies and several cable movie channels, I experiment a lot. So I see a lot of movies/films others might not.

Having said that, it bears mentioning that a good portion of them are things that I wouldnt recommend to anyone. They're bent or twisted in some way, but sometimes those are the ones I enjoy.

Another reason for this blog is that there are a lot of films that I think others should see, but they're being forgotten. Cases in point would be Shadowlands, 20 Million Miles to Earth, The African Queen, North by Northwest, His Girl Friday and how many more that I cant think of. If I can, I want to encourage people to watch them, so they dont simply fade away.

Why is this important?

Despite what some people say, film is an art form. Like the art forms of previous generations, much of what is made is just junk, but there are some works that are very worthwhile. Some speak to the human condition, to love, to the deeply spiritual.

Unlike works of previous times, these are extremely accessible. You dont have to go to a museum to see them. They're available through Netflix or On Demand.

Also unlike previous art forms, these are extremely fragile. Even now, some original prints have become unviewable.

That's it. I'm an artist and I love art of all kinds and I think those celluloid images can tell us a lot about ourselves. Whether it's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon or Babette's Feast, there are movies that speak. I want to share some of them with you.

Film- High Noon

Released - 1952
Writers - Carl Foreman, John W. Cunningham (Magazine Story)
Director - Fred Zinneman
Stars - Gary Cooper
Supporting - Grace Kelly, Katy Jurado, Thomas Mitchell, Lloyd Bridges, Lon Chaney, Jr.

Let's talk about this "controversial" film a little. The only things that made it controversial were rumors of allegory depicting the HUAC. If the script really is allegorical, it's a weak allegory. Certainly there is an approaching enemy and the hero is abandoned in his hour of need, but those attributes could be descriptive of any number of things. I've never found anything in the movie that speaks plainly to the rumor.

That isnt to say that High Noon isnt symbolic, or even allegorical. There's plenty of both for the observer. I wont go into all that. You're probably smart enough to see them for yourself.

My take on High Noon is that it's a very well made, artful film. If Rio Bravo was indeed made as a response to this film's alleged disrepect for the pioneer spirit and unrealistic portrayal of life in a Western town, then it was a silly reason to make a good movie. Like Mark Twain's criticism of James Fennimore Cooper, John Ford's answer addresses the artistic license taken by Zinneman.

What I see in this film are several types that Zinneman used to bring us to his conclusion.

Marshall Kane is a proud man, which is his downfall. He allows his ego to bring him back to a place where he shouldnt go. Regardless of the outcome for the town, the people there have assured him that they want him to go. They're willing to face whatever comes. Of course, this speaks to the script's continuity. When trouble does come, they're all unwilling to do anything.

Kane's character tells us about pig-headed American individualism. He's a godless man who cant do the right thing because it might sully his manly image. Instead, he is forced to go back and have it out with the outlaw, no matter if he widows his new bride before the marriage is even consumated.

She, on the other hand, is a Quaker, with all the pacifistic baggage that drags along. We arent told how this unlikely couple came to be married. To explore that would probably bring us to an unexplainable compromise on both parts. So, we're left to accept that they somehow got to this place.

What this character accomplishes is conflict. She is a barrier between him and several things. First, she stands between him and his own sense of self. To follow her advice and keep moving down the road would leave him with the unanswered question of whether he was a big enough man to handle the outlaws who were coming to kill him. Second, she has come between him and the town he has fought to clean up and stabilize. Finally, she is a barrier between him and a woman he's evidently been involved with before.

This other woman shows us the opposite of Kane. She is pragmatic and resolved to self-preservation. She'd have allowed herself to love him, if it didnt mean risk. She is leaving town despite the arguments of her younger lover.

In my mind, this film sits on a shelf beside Ingmar Bergman's Nattvardsgasterna (Winter Light). Both are concerned with characters who struggle with their own inner workings. Cooper's Kane and Bjorgstrand's Pastor Ericsson both struggle to find some kind of answer to the struggles of life. In Kane's case, the problem is immediate and demands instant action. Ericsson's struggle is prolonged, having begun some years before, with the death of his wife.

The townspeople in High Noon are dependent on Kane to solve their earthly problem. Ericsson's parishioners look to him for spiritual guidance. Neither man is allowed to look beyond himself. Because Kane does plead with the townsfolk for help, his personal conflict doesnt become real until they've rejected him.

There are other reasons I put these two films together, but I dont want to do a side by side comparison.

What strikes me about High Noon is the change in Cooper's character. There's a point at which he realizes that he's in over his head and will probably die. From then on, Kane is afraid, but I dont think it's only a fear of death. His faith in people has been dissolved, his wife has left him on their wedding day, and he has no faith in God. For the first time, perhaps ever, he is completely alone. It's at that point that I see him give up to fatalism (not fate). From then on, he is functioning almost solely on instinct.

It's an interesting character study and what makes the movie one that I have watched over and over.

I'll post some video later.

Films first, I guess...

I watch all kinds of stuff, from SciFi and Westerns to flat out Chickflicks. I appreciate something in every genre. Here's a list of some of my present favorites.

Blue

War of the Worlds (orig)

The Ghost of Mae Nak

Jaws

Wristcutters

The Perfect Storm

While You Were Sleeping

The Road Home

Groundhog Day

Aliens Series (not AvP series)

Terminator Series

Winter Light

Vertical Ray of the Sun

Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (Branagh/DiNiro)

Love's Labors Lost (Branagh/Silverstone)

Starting Out in the Evening

Well, there's a beginning. It should give us a reference point. Maybe tomorrow we'll do my fav actors, or books. For now, welcome to Random Intensity