i honestly think the whole black and white movie thing is getting in the way of a lot of the voters on the site. every time we have a Best...Of All Time poll, the black and whites never last
George Bailey (It's A Wonderful Life)
Indiana Jones (Indiana Jones)
i honestly think the whole black and white movie thing is getting in the way of a lot of the voters on the site. every time we have a Best...Of All Time poll, the black and whites never last
I have many leather bound books.
I'm kind of a big deal.
Changing the plans that I’ve been setting on, I’m scared by the way that my life is getting gone
that could be... I thought that as well
Buddy, you think you look strong? You’re wearing a cape.
meh, this poll sucked bolas.
"So many vows. They make you swear and swear. Defend the King, obey the King, obey your father, protect the innocent, defend the weak. But what if your father despises the King? What if the King massacres the innocent? It's too much. No matter what you do, you're forsaking one vow or another."
So true. Same thing happened with the best movie polls. All the older films got knocked out right away.
And on a rather unrelated note, I just went to the theater the other day and I saw that they're going to be playing It's a Wonderful Life on the big screen around christmas time.
Only the gentle are ever really strong.
I know, I can't even tell you how excited I am. I already marked it on my calendar so that I don't forget
Only the gentle are ever really strong.
It's not a B&W thing, it's an old thing. Even older color movies got knocked out - The Lion in Winter?! For fuck's sake that's one of the greatest movies ever! Every character is fully flushed out and awesome, the entire movie is quotable but not in that artificial way so many modern movies do, the costumes and sets are spot on, the cinematography is unbeatable, and the complexity of the relationships between the characters is fantastic. I don't think there is a single bad second of film in that movie. The movie didn't make it, nor did any of the characters.
My god, it has Katharine Hepburn addressing some of her jewelry in the mirror "I'd hang you from the nipples, but it might shock the children."
Nigel Terry as John: Poor John. Nobody says poor John. My god, if I were to go up in flames, there's not a living soul that would pee on me to put me out.
Peter O'Toole as Henry II: I found out the way your mind works and the kind of man you are. I know your plans and expectations - you've burbled every bit of strategy you've got. I know exactly what you will do, and exactly what you won't, and I've told you exactly nothing. To these aged eyes, boy, that's what winning looks like!
And my favorite line of all, uttered by John Castle as Geoffrey, "I know. You know I know. I know you know I know. We know Henry knows, and Henry knows we know it." *pause* "We're a knowledgeable family."
Anthony Hopkins as Richard: Let's strike a flint and see.
*sigh*
It'll take a lot more than words and guns,
A whole lot more than riches and muscle.
The hands of the many must join as one.
And together we'll cross the river.
Puscifer, "The Humbling River"
breathe woofer....breathe
I have many leather bound books.
I'm kind of a big deal.
Changing the plans that I’ve been setting on, I’m scared by the way that my life is getting gone
Maybe this is just me but I don't think the acting was as good before the early 60s as it was after. This isn't true of all old movies. There are some gems. It just seems to me that the way characters acted and spoke wasn't as "natural" as it was later on. Of course, this could be a cultural thing. I wasn't around back then. It could be that people did actually behave differently then. Perhaps they were a bit more guarded about showing emotions or being too relaxed around others. Either way, it often does not translate well for me. I can enjoy these movies but there are very few I'd go out of my way to see.
(sorry Bear)
You know, you're not the first person that I've heard say that, but I honestly just don't see it. I think some of our greatest actors have come from that time. James Dean, James Stewart, Joan Fontaine, Gene Kelly, Bette Davis. I could just go on and on, but those are some of my favs.
Only the gentle are ever really strong.
I am not at all happy that this poll is over , I certainly would have casted my vote for
George Baily, what a great movie, and one of the most touching portrayals ever.
This classic is a regular in our family , and is viewed over and over during the holiday season. How was this film beaten out by an Indy film ?
The answer is within
all matter is energy, all energy is GOD
And, btw, on this note, why didn't we get Shakespeare films? Talk about all-time great characters!
Ask not what bears can do for you, but what you can do for bears. (razz)
When one is in agreement with bears one is always correct. (mae)
bears are back!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Didn't we include many nominations which began in other media? Certainly I would have considered some historic interpretations of his greatest to be worthy of running here.
I both agree and disagree with that. The change came about the same way that literature has changed through time and adapted to the audience's expectations. I'm pretty sure people didn't run around the Renaissance speaking in rhymes - "Are there any rocks ahead?" / "If there are, we'll all be dead." aside.
But I'm with Heather in that I think some of our greatest actors have come from the early (relatively) days of film. I think that we perceive a lot of actors now as better than they truly are because of the films they are in - technology and a big budget go a long way toward painting a pretty gloss over weak films and actors. By no means, however, am I saying we don't have good actors today. I think we have about the same percentage of good and bad actors as we have always had, but there are many more films being made now than were 50 years ago (for example). Thus, it appears that we have more better actors. One could just as easily look at the number of Reb Browns, Rowdy Roddy Pipers, and Joe Estevezes and say "Damn, there sure are a lot more bad actors than there used to be."
It'll take a lot more than words and guns,
A whole lot more than riches and muscle.
The hands of the many must join as one.
And together we'll cross the river.
Puscifer, "The Humbling River"
When I said what I said I wasn't thinking about Star Wars verses The Best Years of Our Lives (a very strong exception to my little rule). I was thinking more along the lines of Brokeback Mountain vs Public Enemy. I just don't feel that the acting was, for the most part, as natural back then. My theory is that these movies from the 30s and 40s are from a time when acting in movies with sound was a relatively new art form and the standards were different. In silent films people had to overact to show emotions. I think this carried over into "talkies" and it took actors and directors a while to realize that this was no longer necessary. Don't get me wrong. A lot of these folks' acting talents grew along with the industry and are certainly worthy of being thought of as great. But, when it gets down to it, I don't believe that they're any better than our current greats. In fact, for the most part, I don't see them being on quite the same level. They've just been around much longer and have the power of nostalgia on their side. James Cagney might have made a good Joker. But could he have topped Ledger? I seriously doubt it.
But there's more. There's also the gestures, accents, and sensibilities that you pick up in old movies that, in a very real way, make them less accessible to me. Meh...its kinda hard for me to describe or "put a finger" on what I'm saying.