Classic old films

[Nigeyy]

it's hard to define what a classic era is, but here are some first thoughts:

The Day The Earth Stood Still (no, not Keaneau Reeves version thank you. I mean, who can forget the classic "Gort, klaatoo barado nickto" -fyi, one of the best bumper stickers I've seen aside from "don't worry, 9 out of 10 voices tell me not to shoot you")

Flight of the Phoenix (definitely the Stewart version -loved the casting in this, just perfect, perfect. James Stewart -check. Ronald "I'm a sneaky coward" Fraser -check. Hardy "cold hearted German" Kruger -check. David Attenborough.... oh enough said I think, what an exquisite cast.)

Ice Cold in Alex (Anthony Quayle, John Mills, Sylvia Syms, excellent!)

Deliverance (should sue for damages, to this day never have been comfortable in a canoe and touring the southern states. Just hearing someone say "Squeal like a pig" makes me flinch involuntarily)

Zulu ("Front rank... fire!")

Jaws ("Here's to swimmin' with bow legged women". Should also sue for damages for making me afraid to swim in the ocean at times, doesn't help I live close to Cape Cod and Martha's Vineyard where it was filmed)

Cool Hand Luke (yeah, I'd enter a contest to eat 50 eggs, NOT!)

The Third Man (I didn't watch this until a couple of years ago, and while I don't think it's as good a movie in the context of modern movie making now, to think of when it was made I have to rate it as a masterpiece).

And for Christmas, "A Christmas Story", just superb ("I triple dog dare you") and "Die Hard" (alas, poor Alan Rickman).

I also have to throw in Alien, Back to the Future, Raiders of the Lost Ark, LA Confidential, Fargo, Groundhog Day and The Shawshank Redemption. My guilty pleasure is "Predator" ("I ain't got time to bleed" and "son of a gun is dug in a like an Alabama tick!"). But you know what? I have to admit I love it, just way overboard

I seem to recall loving "The Man Who Would Be King" -problem is when you haven't seen a movie in such a long time or if you saw it when were younger, sometimes you way overrate it. I also realize I haven't mentioned comedies which are so hard as they are subjective, but I'd make honourable mentions of "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" "Naked Gun" and "Galaxy Quest" (hilarious if you've watched old Star Trek episodes, and yet another acknowledgement to Alan Rickman).

Sure I've missed loads....

 

[Gravity Aided]

Big thumbs up for It's A Wonderful Life, Casablanca and Kind Hearts & Coronets - all re-seen and massively enjoyed recently.

Have to say I watched the Maltese Falcon recently too, and was amazed how crap it was. Really clunky, and tho' the villainous villains are quite villainous, in a rather pantomime sort of way, the central romance that supposedly drives the whole thing is as flat as piss on a plate. The woman by whom our Humph is so supposedly smitten has all the charisma and sexual allure of a donor kebab. Compare the unspeakably superb 'To Have & Have Not'. "You how to whistle, don't you? You just put your lips together and blow."

"To Have and Have Not", IIRC, was adapted by William Faulkner from Hemingway's book. Adapted from prohibition era Florida to the Carribean in WWII. By the time you are making that many adjustments, you're pretty much on your own.

 

[Gravity Aided]

"Sunset Boulevard" William Holden and Gloria Swanson in a movie about Hollywood. Billy Wilder directed and wrote as well, I think. Much more subtle than "Some Like It Hot".

"Didn't you used to be a big star?"
"I still am-it's the movies that got small."

 

[Oldbloke]

The Odd Couple

 

[Roadhump]

The Sound of Music; Even when I was an uncouth youth in the 1970s I loved that film. We went to see it on stage a few months ago and it was absolutely fantastic, blew us away!!

Spartacus: I want to see the 1960 film starring Kirk Douglas. I watched the Netflix series a while ago and would love to see the film, but even though I have been watching the T.V. schedules closely, I have yet to touch lucky, but one day I know I will.

 

[vickster]

The Jungle Book

Do be doo, I wanna be like like you oo oo

 

[swee'pea99]

The Jungle Book

Do be doo, I wanna be like like you oo oo

The bare necessities of life will come to you.

 

[Ron-da-Valli]

Where Eagles Dare ( I met Derren Nesbitt last year. He said Richard Burton was on 2 bottles of vodka a day. As he himself was being paid a daily rate he encouraged him!)
A Boy, A Girl & A Bike.
Hell Drivers
Hell Is A City
The Man Who Finally Died
and to complete the Stanley Baker line up........ ZULU!

 

[Ron-da-Valli]

The Man Who Finally Died also starred Peter Cushing. Griff Rhys Jones used a clip for a Holsten Pils advert;

View: https://youtu.be/XvlgOebBjgw

 

[Illaveago]

" The Man Who Never Was" was an interesting film about how we decieved the Germans into thinking that we were going to land somewhere else.

Zulu, I can remember seeing for the first time in the cinema in 64. Wonderful scenery, and acting and the sound of the Zulu shields sounding like an express train.

 

[matiz]

Hobson's choice with John Mills,Prunella scales ,and Charles Laughton.

 

[Ron-da-Valli]

" The Man Who Never Was" was an interesting film about how we decieved the Germans into thinking that we were going to land somewhere else.

Zulu, I can remember seeing for the first time in the cinema in 64. Wonderful scenery, and acting and the sound of the Zulu shields sounding like an express train.

The Zulu chanting was also used by Ridley Scott in the opening battle scene of Gladiator.

 

[Ron-da-Valli]

The Whisperers with Edith Evans set in the gloomy Manchester of the sixties.

 

[Gravity Aided]

The Ladykillers.

 

[jefmcg]

Film 4 are screening some classic Hong Kong martial arts movies. I've never seen them before, but they are really good. King Boxer and One Armed Swordsman join my list of splendid motion pictures.

Oh, if we are going to include HK movies, I'd suggest starting with Drunken Master II, Hard Boiled and Police Story III