It’s a pity that, apart from knowledgeable souls such as you and Lanier, Ms Davies is now so little-known and often it is for the character loosely based on her in Kane rather than for herself and her – better – work.
As an aside, you don’t get names like King Vidor any more! (interesting to recall that Vidor’s legendary shot from The Crowd was homaged decades later in The Apartment by Billy Wilder; I suppose you could make a case that the Wachowski’s homaged it in The Matrix as well, tho’ obviously that picture is *not even close* to being in the same league!)
Brace yourself, Mr. Kaplan — but I think the first Matrix was groundbreaking — you’re right, though, about it being a different league, there was a consistency of excellence in Vidor’s and Wilder’s work you don’t see much of anymore. Maybe it had to do with the Studio System?
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George Kaplan
July 24, 2013
I fell off my chair! No, The Matrix WAS groundbreaking in some ways if not in its story, it’s very entertaining and thrilling if silly (“There is no spoon”? Gimme a break! As for Trinity falling for Neo, I kinda have to agree with Joey Pants character that the major reason she appeared to do that was that he *looks like Keanu*! Ahahaha!) but I have the boxed set! Still the frozen time sequence isn’t as wondrous as the one in A Matter of Life and Death. 🙂
Okay, now get back up and prepare to throw me in Movie Jail. I think “A Matter of Life and Death” had one of the most brilliant openings in the history of film — and perhaps he should have left it at that?
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSruSe_m8OI&w=420&h=315]
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George Kaplan
July 24, 2013
Bwahahaha! We’ll have to agree to disagree there! One day I’ll have to convince you of the error of your ways… 😉
I cannot watch that opening real and unreal as it is without bursting into tears.Quite reliably I just did.Thanks to our generous newspapers I have a very nice copy for pennies.
I come from a part of England that is littered still with remnants of The Second World War.Some you notice some you dont.Pillboxes,tank traps in a bluebell wood and obscure things like a railway bridge with a sniper postion built in.
I never quite got away from the presence of the last War that you can find without looking on a simple walk on The Southern Downs.
Oh dear, all I can say is that my cinematic education has been very deficient; but that is a tantalising opening scene and I learn something interesting every day I ready your blog 🙂
Nice hat, Marion!
I must say, she doesn’t look happy. (Though perhaps I’m wrong.)
I like that she looks so naturalistic – gone are those days in modeling.
My favorite Marion Davies movie is “Show People”! It is all about a young girl breaking into the Movies and you get to see M.G.M. in the silent days.
I love that movie! Directed by King Vidor – and contrary to Frederica Sagor Maas I think she’s a gifted comedian. 🙂
Yes she was. Much more adept at comedy than anything else I think.
Wait! I got distracted at http://sentsmemory.wordpress.com/2013/07/24/the-bouquet-of-madame-vibert-white-by-undergreen-paris/
“He crossed under the arches of the Palais Royal and turned west along the Rue de Rivoli fresh snow the color coconut shavings fell like feathers from dying angels.”
Holy Moly! I’ll be right back!
LOL!!
It’s a pity that, apart from knowledgeable souls such as you and Lanier, Ms Davies is now so little-known and often it is for the character loosely based on her in Kane rather than for herself and her – better – work.
As an aside, you don’t get names like King Vidor any more! (interesting to recall that Vidor’s legendary shot from The Crowd was homaged decades later in The Apartment by Billy Wilder; I suppose you could make a case that the Wachowski’s homaged it in The Matrix as well, tho’ obviously that picture is *not even close* to being in the same league!)
Brace yourself, Mr. Kaplan — but I think the first Matrix was groundbreaking — you’re right, though, about it being a different league, there was a consistency of excellence in Vidor’s and Wilder’s work you don’t see much of anymore. Maybe it had to do with the Studio System?
I fell off my chair! No, The Matrix WAS groundbreaking in some ways if not in its story, it’s very entertaining and thrilling if silly (“There is no spoon”? Gimme a break! As for Trinity falling for Neo, I kinda have to agree with Joey Pants character that the major reason she appeared to do that was that he *looks like Keanu*! Ahahaha!) but I have the boxed set! Still the frozen time sequence isn’t as wondrous as the one in A Matter of Life and Death. 🙂
Okay, now get back up and prepare to throw me in Movie Jail. I think “A Matter of Life and Death” had one of the most brilliant openings in the history of film — and perhaps he should have left it at that?
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSruSe_m8OI&w=420&h=315]
Bwahahaha! We’ll have to agree to disagree there! One day I’ll have to convince you of the error of your ways… 😉
I cannot watch that opening real and unreal as it is without bursting into tears.Quite reliably I just did.Thanks to our generous newspapers I have a very nice copy for pennies.
I come from a part of England that is littered still with remnants of The Second World War.Some you notice some you dont.Pillboxes,tank traps in a bluebell wood and obscure things like a railway bridge with a sniper postion built in.
I never quite got away from the presence of the last War that you can find without looking on a simple walk on The Southern Downs.
Oh dear, all I can say is that my cinematic education has been very deficient; but that is a tantalising opening scene and I learn something interesting every day I ready your blog 🙂