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Showing posts with label classic movies. Show all posts

Friday, December 9, 2022

Movie Review of Gaslight (1944) Starring Charles Boyer, Ingrid Bergman & Joseph Cotten

The term "Gaslight" has become commonly used to describe a form of deceptive and cruel mental manipulation. A vunerable victim won't recognize what the other person is doing to them as they challenge their memory. It is not as simple as having a different perception of an event, or even a different opinion. It is a much more sinister, intentional manipulation of someone's memory or perception causing them to question their own sanity.

I'm not sure if I ever actually watched the movie "Gaslight" in the past, or if I am simply familiar with the movie plot from trailers. Some of my favorite movies are classics (pre-1950). When I was much younger, I often stayed up late watching old movies on the original AMC movie channel. I may well have seen the movie back then.

My husband & I recently decided to watch the 1944 version of the movie Gaslight, starring Charles Boyer, Ingrid Bergman & Joseph Cotten. I was reminded of how much I loved the old classics where actors really had to carry the entire movie. There were no special effects or colorful scenes to help captivate an audience. It was all up to the writers and actors to entertain us.

I had not realized how much I missed the classics, or that fabulous Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer logo lion, until we watched "Gaslight". We cut the cable cord nearly a decade ago and I no longer pull out our old vhs tapes to watch movies.

Wow! It has been so long that it is like rediscovering cinematic brilliance. I plan to go in search of a new way to watch those old classics again. If there is no channel available, I'll dust off my old vhs tapes and hope my player still works, but for now, I want to tell you about the movie "Gaslight".

Gaslight (1944)

Gaslight
Available on Prime Video, DVD, Blu-ray, or VHSCheck PriceWhen the renowned singer, Alice Alquist is murdered, her niece and ward, Paula (Ingrid Bergman) is sent to live in Italy with her aunt's best friend, Maestro Guardi who spends years training her to sing professionally. When Paula confides in Signore Guardi that she has fallen in love, he encourages her to embrace happiness, even take a break from her singing for a while. He has no way of knowing that he is throwing her into the arms of an insidious predator with ulterior motives.

Gregory Anton (Charles Boyer) is lying in wait for her to come to him after she speaks to the maestro. He is thrilled to find that everything is going as he wishes and he pressures Paula to marry him even though she hasn't known him for very long.

After Gregory & Paula are married, he masterfully manipulates her into moving back to London, and back into her aunt's home. That is when he fully commits himself to "gaslighting" her and she is very nearly convinced that she is insane until Joseph Cotten appears on the scene.

Now, you must watch the movie yourself to see what happens!

Interesting Facts About Gaslight

Ingrid Bergman was actually singing in this movie
Ingrid Bergman won the Academy Award Best Actress for this film
Charles Boyer did not play the piano, but he did study psychology before he became an actor.
It is also worth mentioning that 17 year old, Angela Lansbury, was also in this movie.

To "gaslight" someone was not a psychological term prior to 2010. The title of the movie actually refers to the gas lights in a home that would dim when additional lights were lit and demanded a share of the gas supply. One of the things that made Paula think she was going insane was that the gas lights would dim even when no one else was home lighting more lights.

The movie "Gaslight" provides an excellent example of the act of gaslighting someone. After all, the movie/play is the origin of the term.

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Thursday, March 10, 2022

Review of Classic Movie Night

A classic movie night is a great way to share an evening with friends, good food, and watch some great old movies.

Starting Our Classic Movie Night

In early 2006 several of our friends and us decided to get together for a night of entertainment. There were three couples involved and we decided we would enjoy having dinner together and then watching a classic movie. When we started we decided to take turns hosting the evening and the host would provide the meal and the movie choice.

Over the years the evening has evolved and now our monthly evenings ended up being about 4-6 times a year. We also now all contribute to the meal with one person bringing the entree, one the side dish and a third the dessert. Over the years we have had breaks due to health issues and Covid but we always get back to all wanting to have our evenings together. Everytime we meet we have a great time and say we must do this more often. But then, life happens and it ends up being several months before we get together again.

Back in 2006, the first movie we saw was Casablanca with Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman. We felt it was the perfect movie to start our "Classic Movie Nights"

Here is a link to Casablanca on Amazon. You might want to choose it for your first "Classic Movie Night"

Casablanca

The first year we got together we would sometimes see two movies when we got together. We have since decided that we would rather just watch one movie, leaving plenty of time for a discussion on the movie and other conversation.

Keeping Track of Our Movies

One of the things I started right from the beginning is keeping a list of all the movies we watched. My daughter gave me a great little book. This little journal book gives you a page for each movie you see. I list the title, director, stars and date we watched it. There is also places for ratings and comments. Over the years we have referred back to this book whenever we are looking for another movie to watch. When someone says we already saw that one as a group, we just pull out the book and check. Our memories can sure play tricks on us. Here is a link to this movie journal on Amazon.

Movies to Check OUt

Choosing the Movies to Watch

Choosing the movies to watch can be a fun part of the night too. We all see each other at other times in the month so we will have discussions on what to watch. We all prefer different types of movies so we try to alternate who makes the final decision and we have each been enriched by watching movies we might not of watched if we weren't in the group.

One discussion we have had over the years is to determine what is and isn't a classic movie. We have checked lots of lists online for ideas but basically it comes down to an old movie that we really would like to see. Usually we try for something at least 50 years old.

One of our favorite movies we have watched is 12 Angry Men. This movie stars Henry Fonda, Lee J Cobb, Ed Begley, EG Marshall and Jack Warden. When we talk about good movies we have watched over the years 12 Angry Men always enters the discussion. It was the movie we saw the second time we got together.

Here is a list of some of our other favorites over the years. There are many more and I would say that in the 40 plus movies we have viewed we only found a couple that none of us liked.

Breakfast at Tiffanys
Stagecoach
Fortune Cookie
Double Indemnity
Some Like it Hot
Manchurian Candidate
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers
Pride of the Yankees
African Queen
Birdcage
On the Waterfront
Citizen Kane
Sabrina
Key Largo
True Lies
The Quiet Man

Theme Nights

Sometimes we have theme nights. Recently for a night near Valentines Day we watched a romantic comedy. When Harry Met Sally. During the political elections we watched a comedy My Fellow Americans with Dan Akroyd, James Garner and Jack Lemmon.

In December we try to watch a Christmas classic. Among others we have watched Going My way and The Bishop's Wife. Here is a review fellow reviewer Cynthia did on The Bishop's Wife.

https://www.reviewthisreviews.com/2021/12/the-bishops-wife-classic-movie-review.html

Future Choices

We are always looking for good movies to watch. If you have a favorite please list it in the comment section so we can consider it for a future "Classic Movie Night".

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Tuesday, June 30, 2020

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid Review

The big screen has had its share of famous duos. Either Hollywood knows how to pick them, or it's just luck that two actors work together so well.

To name a few of these famous duos that we have come to love and adore; Spencer Tracey and Katherine Hepburn, Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, and how about Mel Gibson and Danny Glover in Lethal Weapon.

These actors and so many more have teamed up to make so many classics. Their characters and personalities complemented each other to take us into another world for a few hours. They make us laugh, cry, gasp, or sit on the edge of our seats to see what happens next.

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid Review

Paul Newman and Robert Redford, in my opinion, were one of these duos that were perfectly matched. In 1969 they teamed up in the film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. This film was said to have launched Robert Redford's career.

Movie Plot:

The film is based on real-life outlaws in the late 1890's. Robert Leroy Parker is known as Butch Cassidy played by (Paul Newman), and Harry Longabaugh is known as the Sundance Kid played by (Robert Redford). Butch is the leader of the group known as The Hole in the Wall Gang.

The gang devises a new plan to rob the Union Pacific Railroad on both the eastbound and westbound runs. The first robbery goes well, but the second robbery things go wrong. A second train shows up carrying six lawmen.

As the six lawmen jump off the train on their horses, the gang decides to split up, Butch and Sundance go one way and the gang goes another. But, the six lawmen follow Butch and Sundance. All attempts to elude the six lawmen are failing.

Butch and Sundance find out the group is lead by a famous Indian tracker known as "Lord Baltimore" and a determined lawman Joe Lefors.

They find out from Sundance's girlfriend Etta played by (Kathern Ross) that the team of lawmen was hired by the head of the Union Pacific Railroad. Their job is to track them down and kill them. Butch, Sundance, and Etta move to Bolivia to try and start a new life.

I don't want to spoil the rest of the movie if you haven't seen it. This is one of those movies that will make you laugh, and you're going to find yourself rooting for the bad guys.

This short video is one of my favorite parts of the movie

Paul Newman and Robert Redford teamed up again in 1973 to make "The Sting". After these two hits by this duo, they never made another movie together. What a shame because they worked so well together.

You can find this classic on Amazon Prime or other streaming sites. Or, you could buy the DVD here.

These are the only two movies that Paul Newman and Robert Redford made together.

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (Widescreen Special Edition) by 20th Century Fox The Sting [Blu-ray]

Clich

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Friday, January 27, 2017

The Ghost and Mrs. Muir ~ Best Movie of All Time

Scanned Photo of The Cover of My VHS Tape

Review of The Ghost & Mrs. Muir

From the first note of the introduction music, "The Ghost and Mrs. Muir" captivates me and draws me into a world of the past. Gene Tierney is beautiful and her features are even more pronounced in black and white movies.

This young widow, Mrs. Muir, mystifies me with her strength and courage to survive in a time when women were "strange" if they remained single.

After a year of mourning her husband's death, she and her daughter, Anna, move away from her domineering sister-in-law and her mother-in law to live at the seaside.

Against the advice of the realtor, she rents Gull Cottage, a home that is haunted by it's previous owner, a deceased sea captain.

This movie speaks to the eternal romantic!

Synopsis of The Ghost & Mrs Muir

Only a Teaser ~ You Must See this Movie for Yourself!

Gene Tierney & Rex Harrison
Available on Amazon.com
She isn't living in Gull Cottage for long before Captain Gregg makes his presence known. Even after "showing" himself to Mrs. Muir, she is not scared away.

A friendship between these two is quickly cemented and a lifetime of a rather odd relationship ensues. They have conversations that no one else can hear and Captain Gregg dictates a book to Mrs. Muir in order to provide a living so she can stay at Gull Cottage and remain independent.

There are a few scenes that I find extremely entertaining. Even after seeing it dozens of times, I still laugh out loud when an unseen Captain Gregg "escorts" Mrs. Muir's rude in-laws out of Gull Cottage and another time when he releases the brake on the visiting realtor's automobile.

I never hear the nickname "my dear" that I don't think of Captain Gregg.

Available on Allposters.com
Simply Click the Photo to Purchase

Gene Tierney

See page for author [Public domain],
via Wikimedia Commons

Gene Tierney is one of the most beautiful women to ever grace the silver screen. We are all quite fortunate that she chose to go into the acting world. Since she was from a wealthy family, she didn't need the money. She simply loved acting. I believe that love is reflected in her work.

Not only was she born into affluence, but she was blessed with great beauty. Naturally graced with gentle features and demeanor, her appearance made her the perfect choice for the black & white classic movies, especially the mysteries that required exceptional acting and the ability to communicate with just a look.

Even though they are beautiful in the black and white photos, what we can't see is the real color of her gorgeous green eyes.

Gene Tierney & Rex Harrison
Available to Purchase on Amazon.com

Rex Harrison

Rex Harrison 24X36 Poster Print
Available on Amazon.comSir Rex Harrison was the perfect male actor for The Ghost and Mrs. Muir. He seems to have a natural aloft demeanor. Coupled with is dark, brooding appearance, one could easily envision him as the captain of a ship.

During his sixty years of acting, Rex Harrison appeared in theaters on and off Broadway, as well as in movies made in both America and Britain.

Harrison was not limited to any stereotype. He starred in quite a variety of plays and films, including comedy acts. You may remember him best as Dr. Doolittle or perhaps as the King of Siam, but for me, he will always be Captain Gregg.

What is a Monkey Puzzle Tree

By Norbert Nagel, Mörfelden-Walldorf, Germany (Own work)
[CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)]
via Wikimedia Commons

One of the first "encounters" between Captain Gregg and Mrs. Muir was a dispute about the Monkey Puzzle tree planted on the property. Captain Gregg loved the tree and Mrs. Muir thought it was ugly.

Since I had no idea what a Monkey Puzzle tree looked like, I was intrigued and looked it up. Personally, I find it fascinating. Sorry, Gene, I have to side with Rex on this one.

Here is what Wikipedia says: "Araucaria araucana (Monkey-puzzle) is the hardiest species in the conifer genus Araucaria. It is native to central Chile and west central Argentina, and is an evergreen tree growing to 40 m tall and 2 m trunk diameter. Because of the species' great age it is sometimes described as a living fossil. Araucaria araucana is the national tree of Chile."

You can read more about the Monkey Puzzle tree at Wikipedia.org