Dear class,
here is the list of films which you can vote for to watch in Thursday's class. I have included brief details about each one. I will start the class 5 minutes early but obviously if we watch one of the longer films (particularly Alfie and the 1978 Invasion of the Body Snatchers) the class will over-run by 10-15 minutes.
1. Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (1931) black & white, 98 minutes, directed by Rouben Mamoulian
- the 6th and still the best cinematic version of Robert Louis Stevenson't chilling tale, featuring brilliant use of point of view shots, wonderful lighting effects and a great performance by the makeup department (oh, and Fredric March isn't bad, either, in both of the title roles:)
2. My Darling Clementine (1946) b & w, 97 mins, John Ford.
- a classic western which retells the story of the events leading up to the Gunfight at the OK Corral between the Earp brothers and the Clanton gang. Much of the film was shot on location in the stupendous Monument Valley in Utah, and the photography and acting in this film is outstanding. Henry Fonda takes the lead role of Wyatt Earp and the hunky Victor Mature plays dangerous dentist Doc Holliday. If you like the Western genre, they don't come any better than this!
3. Sorry, Wrong Number (1948) b & w, 89 mins, Anatole Litvak.
- a very unusual suspense thriller about the hypochondriac daughter of a millionaire (played by Barbara Stanwyck). Spoilt Leona Stevenson is bedridden and communicates with the outside world by telephone. One day she overhears two men planning to kill someone when the telephone lines apparently get crossed. When she calls the phone company and the police, she is ignored. Gradually, as she makes more and more calls, the terrible truth begins to dawn on her. Her strangely absent husband is played by a young Burt Lancaster. An offbeat noir classic.
4. Rope (1948) colour, 81 mins, Alfred Hitchcock.
- perhaps Hitch's most claustrophobic film; this story of two rich students who murder their friend just to see if they can get away with it takes place almost entirely in their appartment before, during and after a dinner party which they give while the body of their victim lies hidden (and still warm!) in a chest. The film features several extremely long takes to increase the feeling of discomfort and tension, and a great performance by James Stewart, one of Hitch's favourite Hollywood leading actors. Based on the notorious real-life Leopold and Loeb case (for those of you who are interested in trivia:)
5. The Seventh Seal (Det sjunde inseglet) (1957) b & w, 96 mins, Ingmar Bergman. (In Swedish with English subtitles)
- this speaks for itself, really. It's one of the most famous films in cinema history and involves a long chess match between Death and a disillusioned medieval knight (played by Max Von Sydow) returning from the Crusades and travelling through a plague infested Swedish landscape. (This film was hilariously parodied in Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey)
6. Throne of Blood (Kumonosu-jo=Spider Web Castle) (1957) b & w, 105 mins, Akira Kurosawa. (In Japanese with English subtitles)
- another cinema classic, and regarded as one of Kurosawa's best films. He takes the plot of Shakespeare's Macbeth and transposes it to feudal Japan. Fantastic cinematography and featuring Kirosawa's favourite male lead, Toshiro Mifune, in the Macbeth role.
7. Dracula (1958) colour, 82 mins, Terence Fisher.
- the film that made Christopher Lee a star. For many, including myself, his name will always conjure up his truly chilling performance as the Count. As a bonus, the well-known horror film regular Peter Cushing plays Professor Van Helsing. This is a classic British horror film from the famous Hammer studios, and has a fantastic final scene.
8. Alfie (1966) colour, 114 mins, Lewis Gilbert. (In English with Hungarian subtitles)
- this is the first really great film that Michael Caine starred in. What's so unusual about the film is that the title character (Caine) is also the narrator (he often speaks directly to camera, thereby breaking the 4th wall), and his charm and humour, not to mention sex-appeal, draw us almost unconsciously into his amoral world of adultery and shallow relationships. However, his promiscuous lifestyle is soon to undergo a number of challenges which force Alfie to think about what his goals in life really are. It's a bit like Fielding's Tom Jones set in the London of the swinging 60s. Caine is great, but forget about Jude Law in the 2004 remake - it's like comparing Boyz 2 Men :)
9. The Wicker Man (1973) colour, 88 mins, Robin Hardy.
- this cult British horror film is set on a remote Scottish island and features Edward Woodward as a sexually naive police constable investigating the disappearance of a young girl on the island. A devout Christian, he is shocked to find that the islanders have some very strange pagan beliefs, especially about what to do to ensure that their crops produce a good harvest after several poor years. Christopher Lee gives a fine peformance as the owner of the island, Lord Summerisle. Once seen, this is a film you will not easily forget. (But don't bother going to see the dire remake with Nicholas Cage.)
10. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978) colour, 115 mins, Philip Kaufman.
- this is that rare bird: a remake of a classic film that's even better than the original. Donald Sutherland and a few friends gradually become aware that the inhabitants of San Francisco are rapidly being replaced by a kind of alien plant which can take the form (and the life force) of nearby humans while they are asleep. They must try to find a way to reach safety whilst staying awake as long as they can and disguising the fact that they are the last humans left in the whole city. This is a truly disturbing science fiction film whose special effects still look very convincing more than 30 years later.
So that's what you've got to choose from. Please send the number and title of the film you would like to watch to me before Thursday morning. Think about it and maybe discuss it with some of the other members of the group (by email?). Probably only 3 or 4 votes will be enough to make one film the 'winner' so choose carefully
See you Thursday,
Frank
P.S. If you still haven't given or sent me your film review, then please do so asap. (If you don't know what 'asap' means then Google it:)
here is the list of films which you can vote for to watch in Thursday's class. I have included brief details about each one. I will start the class 5 minutes early but obviously if we watch one of the longer films (particularly Alfie and the 1978 Invasion of the Body Snatchers) the class will over-run by 10-15 minutes.
1. Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (1931) black & white, 98 minutes, directed by Rouben Mamoulian
- the 6th and still the best cinematic version of Robert Louis Stevenson't chilling tale, featuring brilliant use of point of view shots, wonderful lighting effects and a great performance by the makeup department (oh, and Fredric March isn't bad, either, in both of the title roles:)
2. My Darling Clementine (1946) b & w, 97 mins, John Ford.
- a classic western which retells the story of the events leading up to the Gunfight at the OK Corral between the Earp brothers and the Clanton gang. Much of the film was shot on location in the stupendous Monument Valley in Utah, and the photography and acting in this film is outstanding. Henry Fonda takes the lead role of Wyatt Earp and the hunky Victor Mature plays dangerous dentist Doc Holliday. If you like the Western genre, they don't come any better than this!
3. Sorry, Wrong Number (1948) b & w, 89 mins, Anatole Litvak.
- a very unusual suspense thriller about the hypochondriac daughter of a millionaire (played by Barbara Stanwyck). Spoilt Leona Stevenson is bedridden and communicates with the outside world by telephone. One day she overhears two men planning to kill someone when the telephone lines apparently get crossed. When she calls the phone company and the police, she is ignored. Gradually, as she makes more and more calls, the terrible truth begins to dawn on her. Her strangely absent husband is played by a young Burt Lancaster. An offbeat noir classic.
4. Rope (1948) colour, 81 mins, Alfred Hitchcock.
- perhaps Hitch's most claustrophobic film; this story of two rich students who murder their friend just to see if they can get away with it takes place almost entirely in their appartment before, during and after a dinner party which they give while the body of their victim lies hidden (and still warm!) in a chest. The film features several extremely long takes to increase the feeling of discomfort and tension, and a great performance by James Stewart, one of Hitch's favourite Hollywood leading actors. Based on the notorious real-life Leopold and Loeb case (for those of you who are interested in trivia:)
5. The Seventh Seal (Det sjunde inseglet) (1957) b & w, 96 mins, Ingmar Bergman. (In Swedish with English subtitles)
- this speaks for itself, really. It's one of the most famous films in cinema history and involves a long chess match between Death and a disillusioned medieval knight (played by Max Von Sydow) returning from the Crusades and travelling through a plague infested Swedish landscape. (This film was hilariously parodied in Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey)
6. Throne of Blood (Kumonosu-jo=Spider Web Castle) (1957) b & w, 105 mins, Akira Kurosawa. (In Japanese with English subtitles)
- another cinema classic, and regarded as one of Kurosawa's best films. He takes the plot of Shakespeare's Macbeth and transposes it to feudal Japan. Fantastic cinematography and featuring Kirosawa's favourite male lead, Toshiro Mifune, in the Macbeth role.
7. Dracula (1958) colour, 82 mins, Terence Fisher.
- the film that made Christopher Lee a star. For many, including myself, his name will always conjure up his truly chilling performance as the Count. As a bonus, the well-known horror film regular Peter Cushing plays Professor Van Helsing. This is a classic British horror film from the famous Hammer studios, and has a fantastic final scene.
8. Alfie (1966) colour, 114 mins, Lewis Gilbert. (In English with Hungarian subtitles)
- this is the first really great film that Michael Caine starred in. What's so unusual about the film is that the title character (Caine) is also the narrator (he often speaks directly to camera, thereby breaking the 4th wall), and his charm and humour, not to mention sex-appeal, draw us almost unconsciously into his amoral world of adultery and shallow relationships. However, his promiscuous lifestyle is soon to undergo a number of challenges which force Alfie to think about what his goals in life really are. It's a bit like Fielding's Tom Jones set in the London of the swinging 60s. Caine is great, but forget about Jude Law in the 2004 remake - it's like comparing Boyz 2 Men :)
9. The Wicker Man (1973) colour, 88 mins, Robin Hardy.
- this cult British horror film is set on a remote Scottish island and features Edward Woodward as a sexually naive police constable investigating the disappearance of a young girl on the island. A devout Christian, he is shocked to find that the islanders have some very strange pagan beliefs, especially about what to do to ensure that their crops produce a good harvest after several poor years. Christopher Lee gives a fine peformance as the owner of the island, Lord Summerisle. Once seen, this is a film you will not easily forget. (But don't bother going to see the dire remake with Nicholas Cage.)
10. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978) colour, 115 mins, Philip Kaufman.
- this is that rare bird: a remake of a classic film that's even better than the original. Donald Sutherland and a few friends gradually become aware that the inhabitants of San Francisco are rapidly being replaced by a kind of alien plant which can take the form (and the life force) of nearby humans while they are asleep. They must try to find a way to reach safety whilst staying awake as long as they can and disguising the fact that they are the last humans left in the whole city. This is a truly disturbing science fiction film whose special effects still look very convincing more than 30 years later.
So that's what you've got to choose from. Please send the number and title of the film you would like to watch to me before Thursday morning. Think about it and maybe discuss it with some of the other members of the group (by email?). Probably only 3 or 4 votes will be enough to make one film the 'winner' so choose carefully
See you Thursday,
Frank
P.S. If you still haven't given or sent me your film review, then please do so asap. (If you don't know what 'asap' means then Google it:)
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