tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5200276.post4442027078623670118..comments2023-12-28T06:30:48.808-05:00Comments on The Rule of Reason: All for Nothing: Nihilism in CinemaUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger38125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5200276.post-65786548456534771632013-02-13T16:53:43.693-05:002013-02-13T16:53:43.693-05:00This comment has been removed by the author.John Shepardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16424458889560274756noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5200276.post-85754043687428467412013-01-17T09:22:53.669-05:002013-01-17T09:22:53.669-05:00Edward, by "us" I mean our culture as a ...Edward, by "us" I mean our culture as a whole, not any particular individual--not you and certainly not I. One cannot speak of cultural problems without referring to the culture as a collective of volitional individuals who make individual choices about art and every other aspect of life, including their choice of philosophies.<br /><br />"How did we get this way" was of course a rhetorical question. We got this way because, as a culture, we have made the wrong philosophical choices, as you make very clear in your essays.<br /><br />One exhaustive, comprehensive and meticulous answer to the question may be found in Leonard Peikoff's <i>The Ominous Parallels</i> (1982), a book I'm currently rereading after 30 years. It offers compelling if not chilling evidence of how we "got here" and where we, as a culture and a nation, may be headed.Edhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06188622297744653212noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5200276.post-29059043637573530402013-01-17T08:44:01.540-05:002013-01-17T08:44:01.540-05:00Ed (the other Ed): Yes, without ticket sales, the...Ed (the other Ed): Yes, without ticket sales, the Hollywood Left would wither and die. And, please, don't blame "us," because that's a collectivist idea that can start rotting your principles or emasculating your intellectual influence. How did "we" get that way? It is because ideas are powerful, they can influence a nation's entire culture, but if those ideas are insidious and there is no fundamental opposition to them, then those ideas will take over fields of human action, such as movie-making. If you have read Ayn Rand's "Screen Guide for Americans" (1947), addressed to Hollywood producers and directors, you would note that Rand was the only one who took the communists' ideas and methods seriously. Her successors in the Motion Picture Alliance proved to be intellectually and morally inept and could not keep up the fight against the Left, because they were unable or unwilling to absorb the ramifications of the ideas expressed in the Screen Guide. The MPA disbanded in 1960 in a gesture of irrelevancy. Edward Clinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12160209827969614964noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5200276.post-87555740854209439312013-01-17T08:00:23.345-05:002013-01-17T08:00:23.345-05:00I would add that, without ticket-buyers, producers...I would add that, without ticket-buyers, producers of nihilistic garbage would wither and die. I blame us. <i>The</i> question is: How did we get this way?Edhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06188622297744653212noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5200276.post-28373979204988506462013-01-16T23:22:35.882-05:002013-01-16T23:22:35.882-05:00Just saw "Swing Kids"--which goes into t...Just saw "Swing Kids"--which goes into the category, Best Movie I Never Heard Of. Great find, that! (I had a different ending in mind, but am sure it would not be nearly as convincing as what was used.) Thank you for the pointer!jayeldeehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08300130228450096823noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5200276.post-76471378811836392572013-01-16T18:20:27.908-05:002013-01-16T18:20:27.908-05:00Glad to hear that you're getting better, Ed. T...Glad to hear that you're getting better, Ed. Thank you for the additional recommendations.<br /><br />Arsenic and Old Lace (1944): <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arsenic_and_Old_Lace_(film)" rel="nofollow"> Wikipedia</a> - <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0036613/" rel="nofollow">IMDB</a> - <a href="http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/577/Arsenic-and-Old-Lace/" rel="nofollow">TCM</a><br />Ball of Fire (1941): <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ball_of_Fire" rel="nofollow"> Wikipedia</a> - <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0033373/" rel="nofollow">IMDB</a> - <a href="http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/68020/Ball-of-Fire/" rel="nofollow">TCM</a><br />Ruggles of Red Gap (1935): <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruggles_of_Red_Gap" rel="nofollow"> Wikipedia</a> - <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0026955/" rel="nofollow">IMDB</a> - <a href="http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/88738/Ruggles-of-Red-Gap/" rel="nofollow">TCM</a><br /><br />Ball of Fire is another of the movies you recommend which will soon be airing on TCM:<br /><br />Wednesday, February @ 08:15 AM (ET): <a href="http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/68020/Ball-of-Fire/" rel="nofollow">Ball of Fire</a> - TCMJohn Shepardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16424458889560274756noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5200276.post-33514504224994904452013-01-16T16:46:39.357-05:002013-01-16T16:46:39.357-05:00An absorbing analysis, Ed (Cline). And your film l...An absorbing analysis, Ed (Cline). And your film lineup is quite interesting—including, as it does, many titles I’ve never seen (nor even heard of). (“For Whom the Bell Tolls” has been in my queue—for too long.) …. Judging from your list, I think it safe to assume that you are partial to Carole Lombard and Alec Guinness. I’m familiar with the latter only from his role in “Doctor Zhivago”—which I rather like, and in which Guinness is (to me) an utterly enthralling presence. I now look forward to seeing his other films, starting with your recommendations…. As for Lombard, she has, for me, been a virtual unknown! I saw “To Be or Not To Be” more moons ago than I care to recall, and was struck with her beauty. I’ve lately seen various clips of her other work—and think I am on the verge, now, of adding her to my Pantheon of Goddesses. (I hate to end with a negative—but, good grief, what a horror her tragic and untimely death was.)jayeldeehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08300130228450096823noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5200276.post-17577677952854845202013-01-16T15:53:43.068-05:002013-01-16T15:53:43.068-05:00John Shephard: Three more for your list. As the fl...John Shephard: Three more for your list. As the flu abates, memory becomes sharper. <br /><br />Ruggles of Red Gap<br />Arsenic and Old Lace<br />Ball of Fire (Stanwyck and Cooper)Edward Clinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12160209827969614964noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5200276.post-75212001264615676702013-01-16T12:16:52.194-05:002013-01-16T12:16:52.194-05:00“[W]e tend at times to give ‘Hollywood’ as an abst...“[W]e tend at times to give ‘Hollywood’ as an abstraction (and the entertainment business in general) too much credit for consciously being evil or immoral or nihilistic.”<br /><br />Excellent point. Hollywood, from bit players and technicians to directors and producers, is chock full of mental midgets--very tiny Devils indeed. And their earning power derives exclusively from the fact that their market is composed, in very large part--of the lobotomized: of those wholly bereft of discrimination, of taste, of rational esthetic standards. And their, the Hollywood-ists’, junk is funneled to that market by slightly bigger Devils--who are the mainstream media “critics.” And of course all of the sorry lot--the producers, the consumers, and the critics--has been spawned by Devils of slightly larger (but still lowly) stature, which inhabit “the educational system.” …. In fact, the recognition that human evil is “many and smutty and small” is one root of Ayn Rand’s “benevolent universe” premise.<br /><br />That said, I am not so sure that money is the “only” motive of Hollywood’s junk manufacturers and peddlers. It is a major one, no doubt. But I think there is also a psychological motive often at work--consisting in the desire, central to any artist, to see a certain type of world made “real,” if only for the space of an hour or two.jayeldeehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08300130228450096823noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5200276.post-7207036964280278252013-01-16T08:41:49.580-05:002013-01-16T08:41:49.580-05:00"If he was anything, he was apolitical."...<i>"If he was anything, he was apolitical."</i><br /><br />Another word is "pragmatic." The driving force behind every big-budget picture is not politics or ethics or epistemology, but the overarching obligation to make money, by whichever means <i>works</i>.<br /><br />If Abe Lincoln had been a Hollywood producer, he might have written: <i>"My paramount object in this struggle is to make money, and is not either to save or to destroy Hollywood. If I could make money without destroying the cinema I would do it, and if I could make money by burning Hollywood to the ground I would do it; and if I could make money by green-lighting 'For Whom the Bell Tolls' or 'Dude, Where's My Car?' I would also do that."</i><br /><br />I think we tend at times to give "Hollywood" as an abstraction (and the entertainment business in general) too much credit for <i>consciously</i> being evil or immoral or nihilistic. I recall this line in Ayn Rand's "The Fountainhead": <i>"[T]here had always been a God and a Devil--only men had been so mistaken about the shapes of their Devil--he was not single and big, he was many and smutty and small."</i>Edhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06188622297744653212noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5200276.post-87965946006990730782013-01-15T21:02:00.821-05:002013-01-15T21:02:00.821-05:00Thank you again, Ed, for your movie recommendation...Thank you again, Ed, for your movie recommendations. <br /><br />I apologize for butchering the comments thread, but I hope that you and your readers find the lists-with-links helpful - with copy-paste all of from my last five posts can be used to create a text file (I'm on a Mac and use TexEdit), all links active for future reference and easy access to information and listings on TCM.John Shepardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16424458889560274756noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5200276.post-38852677993246461132013-01-15T19:37:44.353-05:002013-01-15T19:37:44.353-05:00Lastly, the movies Ed criticizes in his original p...Lastly, the movies Ed criticizes in his original post:<br /><br />Advise and Consent (1962):<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advise_%26_Consent_(film)" rel="nofollow"> Wikipedia</a> - <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0055728/" rel="nofollow">IMDB</a> - <a href="http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/66836/Advise-Consent/" rel="nofollow">TCM</a><br />Anatomy of a Murder (1959):<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anatomy_of_a_Murder" rel="nofollow"> Wikipedia</a> - <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0052561/" rel="nofollow">IMDB</a> - <a href="http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/3737/Anatomy-of-a-Murder/" rel="nofollow">TCM</a><br />Lonely Are the Brave (1962):<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lonely_Are_the_Brave" rel="nofollow"> Wikipedia</a> - <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0056195/" rel="nofollow">IMDB</a> - <a href="http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/81722/Lonely-Are-the-Brave/" rel="nofollow">TCM</a><br />Play Dirty (1969):<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Play_Dirty" rel="nofollow"> Wikipedia</a> - <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0063443/" rel="nofollow">IMDB</a> - <a href="http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/19547/Play-Dirty/" rel="nofollow">TCM</a><br />Ronin (1998):<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ronin_(film)" rel="nofollow"> Wikipedia</a> - <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0122690/" rel="nofollow">IMDB</a> - <a href="http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/328964/Ronin/" rel="nofollow">TCM</a><br />They Came to Cordura (1959):<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/They_Came_to_Cordura" rel="nofollow"> Wikipedia</a> - <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0053351/" rel="nofollow">IMDB</a> - <a href="http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/92812/They-Came-to-Cordura/" rel="nofollow">TCM</a><br /><br />Be sure to double check the times for upcoming movies on TCM.<br /><br />All link, I believe, are now correct. (I hope.)John Shepardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16424458889560274756noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5200276.post-37931053856237645762013-01-15T19:25:10.243-05:002013-01-15T19:25:10.243-05:00Upcoming Movies from Ed's List - TCM
Friday, ...Upcoming Movies from Ed's List - TCM<br /><br />Friday, January 18 @ 04:00 PM (ET): <a href="http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/85282/Notorious/" rel="nofollow">Notorious</a> - TCM<br />Sunday, January 27 @ 02:00 PM (ET): <a href="http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/206/His-Girl-Friday/" rel="nofollow">His Girl Friday</a> - TCM <br />*Tuesday, January 29 @ 03:15 PM (ET): <a href="http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/3737/Anatomy-of-a-Murder/" rel="nofollow">Anatomy of a Murder</a> - TCM<br />Tuesday, January 29 @ 10:00 PM (ET): <a href="http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/81005/The-Lavender-Hill-Mob/" rel="nofollow">The Lavender Hill Mob</a> - TCM <br />Saturday, February 2 @ 08:00 PM (ET): <a href="http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/610/Casablanca/" rel="nofollow">Casablanca</a> - TCM<br />Saturday, February 2 @ 10:00 PM (ET) <a href="http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/2805/The-Maltese-Falcon/" rel="nofollow">The Maltese Falcon</a> - TCM<br />Tuesday, February 12 @ 06:15 AM (ET): <a href="http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/2910/The-Hunchback-of-Notre-Dame/" rel="nofollow">The Hunchback of Notre Dame</a> - TCM <br />Wednesday, February 27 @ 08:00 PM (ET): <a href="http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/75510/The-Four-Feathers/" rel="nofollow">The Four Feathers</a> on TCM <br />Thursday, February 28 @ 09:15 AM (ET): <a href="http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/82658/The-Man-in-the-White-Suit/" rel="nofollow">The Man in the White Suit</a> - TCM <br />Thursday, February 28 @ 10:45 AM (ET): <a href="http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/80720/The-Ladykillers/" rel="nofollow">The Ladykillers</a> - TCM <br />Friday, March 1 @ 09:00 AM (ET): <a href="http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/93439/To-Be-or-Not-to-Be/" rel="nofollow">To Be or Not To Be</a> - TCM<br /><br />* Anatomy of a Murder is one of the movies that Ed criticized in his original post.<br /><br />At TCM, there's an option, in the Title bar, to get a reminder message sent to one's email address. I've not tried it, but it might be handy.John Shepardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16424458889560274756noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5200276.post-56886449434717813922013-01-15T19:21:02.742-05:002013-01-15T19:21:02.742-05:00To Be or Not To Be (1942): Wikipedia - IMDB - TCM
...To Be or Not To Be (1942): <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/To_Be_or_Not_to_Be_(1942_film)" rel="nofollow">Wikipedia</a> - <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0035446/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1" rel="nofollow">IMDB</a> - <a href="http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/93439/To-Be-or-Not-to-Be/" rel="nofollow">TCM</a><br />Tunes of Glory (1960): <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tunes_of_Glory" rel="nofollow">Wikipedia</a> - <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0054412/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1" rel="nofollow">IMDB</a> - <a href="http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/94056/Tunes-of-Glory/" rel="nofollow">TCM</a><br />Twentieth Century (1934): <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twentieth_Century_(film)" rel="nofollow">Wikipedia</a> - <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0025919/" rel="nofollow">IMDB</a> - <a href="http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/27561/Twentieth-Century/" rel="nofollow">TCM</a><br />Unconquered (1947) (Cooper, French & Indian War): <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unconquered" rel="nofollow"> Wikipedia</a> - <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0039931/" rel="nofollow">IMDB</a> - <a href="http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/4415/Unconquered/" rel="nofollow">TCM</a><br />Zulu (1964): <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zulu_(film)" rel="nofollow"> Wikipedia</a> - <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0058777/" rel="nofollow">IMDB</a> - <a href="http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/96684/Zulu/" rel="nofollow">TCM</a>John Shepardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16424458889560274756noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5200276.post-74408772306284617402013-01-15T19:17:17.849-05:002013-01-15T19:17:17.849-05:00The Browning Version (1951) (with Michael Redgrave...The Browning Version (1951) (with Michael Redgrave): <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Browning_Version_(1951_film)" rel="nofollow"> Wikipedia</a> - <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0043362/" rel="nofollow">IMDB</a> - <a href="http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/69812/The-Browning-Version/" rel="nofollow">TCM</a><br />The Four Feathers (1939): <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Four_Feathers_(1939_film)" rel="nofollow"> Wikipedia</a> - <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0031334/" rel="nofollow">IMDB</a> - <a href="http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/75510/The-Four-Feathers/" rel="nofollow">TCM</a><br />The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939) (even with the revised ending): <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hunchback_of_Notre_Dame_(1939_film)" rel="nofollow"> Wikipedia</a> - <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0031455/" rel="nofollow">IMDB</a> - <a href="http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/2910/The-Hunchback-of-Notre-Dame/" rel="nofollow">TCM</a><br />The Ladykillers (1955): <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ladykillers" rel="nofollow"> Wikipedia</a> - <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0048281/" rel="nofollow">IMDB</a> - <a href="http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/80720/The-Ladykillers/" rel="nofollow">TCM</a><br />The Lavender Hill Mob (1951): <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lavender_Hill_Mob" rel="nofollow"> Wikipedia</a> - <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0044829/" rel="nofollow">IMDB</a> - <a href="http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/81005/The-Lavender-Hill-Mob/" rel="nofollow">TCM</a><br />The Maltese Falcon (1941): <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Maltese_Falcon_(1941_film)" rel="nofollow">Wikipedia</a> - <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0033870/" rel="nofollow">IMDB</a> - <a href="http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/2805/The-Maltese-Falcon/" rel="nofollow">TCM</a><br />The Man in the White Suit (1951): <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Man_in_the_White_Suit" rel="nofollow"> Wikipedia</a> - <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0044876/" rel="nofollow">IMDB</a> - <a href="http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/82658/The-Man-in-the-White-Suit/" rel="nofollow">TCM</a><br />The Miracle Worker (1962): <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Miracle_Worker_(1962_film)" rel="nofollow">Wikipedia</a> - <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0056241/" rel="nofollow">IMDB</a> - <a href="http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/19300/The-Miracle-Worker/" rel="nofollow">TCM</a><br />The Scarlet Pimpernel (1934): <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Scarlet_Pimpernel_(1934_film)" rel="nofollow">Wikipedia</a> - <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0025748/?ref_=fn_al_tt_3" rel="nofollow">IMDB</a> - <a href="http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/21538/The-Scarlet-Pimpernel/" rel="nofollow">TCM</a>John Shepardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16424458889560274756noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5200276.post-67380770087797726032013-01-15T19:11:28.881-05:002013-01-15T19:11:28.881-05:00Ed's List of Movie Recommendations:
Breaking...Ed's List of Movie Recommendations:<br /><br /> Breaking the Sound Barrier (1952): <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sound_Barrier" rel="nofollow"> Wikipedia</a> - <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0044446/" rel="nofollow">IMDB</a> - <a href="http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/69629/The-Sound-Barrier/" rel="nofollow">TCM</a><br />Casablanca (1942): <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casablanca_(film)" rel="nofollow">Wikipedia</a> - <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0034583/" rel="nofollow">IMDB</a> - <a href="http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/610/Casablanca/" rel="nofollow">TCM</a><br />Charade (1963): <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charade_(1963_film)" rel="nofollow"> Wikipedia</a> - <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0056923/" rel="nofollow">IMDB</a> - <a href="http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/3838/Charade/" rel="nofollow">TCM</a><br />Executive Suite (1954) (Williams Holden): <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Executive_Suite" rel="nofollow"> Wikipedia</a> - <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0046963/" rel="nofollow">IMDB</a> - <a href="http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/3001/Executive-Suite/" rel="nofollow">TCM</a><br />For Whom the Bell Tolls (1943): <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/For_Whom_the_Bell_Tolls_(film)" rel="nofollow"> Wikipedia</a> - <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0035896/" rel="nofollow">IMDB</a> - <a href="http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/75353/For-Whom-the-Bell-Tolls/" rel="nofollow">TCM</a><br />Hamburger Hill (1987): <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamburger_Hill" rel="nofollow"> Wikipedia</a> - <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093137/" rel="nofollow">IMDB</a> - <a href="http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/17982/Hamburger-Hill/" rel="nofollow">TCM</a><br />His Girl Friday (1940): <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/His_Girl_Friday" rel="nofollow"> Wikipedia</a> - <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0032599/" rel="nofollow">IMDB</a> - <a href="http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/206/His-Girl-Friday/" rel="nofollow">TCM</a><br />Hobson's Choice (1954): <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hobson's_Choice_(1954_film)" rel="nofollow"> Wikipedia</a> - <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0047094/" rel="nofollow">IMDB</a> - <a href="http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/78157/Hobson-s-Choice/" rel="nofollow">TCM</a><br />Khartoum (1966): <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khartoum_(film)" rel="nofollow"> Wikipedia</a> - <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0060588/" rel="nofollow">IMDB</a> - <a href="http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/15858/Khartoum/" rel="nofollow">TCM</a><br />Laura (1944): <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laura_(1944_film)" rel="nofollow">Wikipedia</a> - <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0037008/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1" rel="nofollow">IMDB</a> - <a href="http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/81004/Laura/" rel="nofollow">TCM</a><br />My Man Godfrey (1936): <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Man_Godfrey" rel="nofollow">Wikipedia</a> - <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0028010/" rel="nofollow">IMDB</a> - <a href="http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/5794/My-Man-Godfrey/" rel="nofollow">TCM</a><br />Notorious (1946): <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Notorious_(1946_film)" rel="nofollow"> Wikipedia</a> - <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0038787/" rel="nofollow">IMDB</a> - <a href="http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/85282/Notorious/" rel="nofollow">TCM</a><br />Swing Kids (1993): <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swing_Kids_(film)" rel="nofollow"> Wikipedia</a> - <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0108265/" rel="nofollow">IMDB</a> - <a href="http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/92134/Swing-Kids/" rel="nofollow">TCM</a><br />The Big Clock (1948): <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Big_Clock_(film)" rel="nofollow">Wikipedia</a> - <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0040160/" rel="nofollow">IMDB</a> - <a href="http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/68644/The-Big-Clock/" rel="nofollow">TCM</a>John Shepardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16424458889560274756noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5200276.post-34290939116154076892013-01-15T17:38:17.784-05:002013-01-15T17:38:17.784-05:00John: I didn't know Godfrey had been remade. I...John: I didn't know Godfrey had been remade. I meant the Lombard/Powell one.<br /><br />Edward Clinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12160209827969614964noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5200276.post-18976190480260744772013-01-15T17:09:52.286-05:002013-01-15T17:09:52.286-05:00Okay, thank you, Ed.
There were two different ver...Okay, thank you, Ed.<br /><br />There were two different versions of My Man Godfrey, one in 1936 with William Powell and Carole Lombard, and one in 1957 with David Niven and June Allyson.<br /><br />Which of those two were you recommending?John Shepardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16424458889560274756noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5200276.post-78905551495047463542013-01-15T15:39:57.367-05:002013-01-15T15:39:57.367-05:00John: All the ones you've marked ??? or *** ar...John: All the ones you've marked ??? or *** are unique and are not remakes. The only remake I know of was of "To Be or Not To Be" and the 1942 one is with Jack Benny and Carole Lombard. The later remake with Mel Brooks and Anne Bancroft wasn't as good as the original. Edward Clinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12160209827969614964noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5200276.post-74234081976183926462013-01-15T14:45:43.452-05:002013-01-15T14:45:43.452-05:00This comment has been removed by the author.John Shepardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16424458889560274756noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5200276.post-352210754083193182013-01-15T14:40:26.949-05:002013-01-15T14:40:26.949-05:00This comment has been removed by the author.John Shepardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16424458889560274756noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5200276.post-19026854237247608352013-01-15T12:13:53.874-05:002013-01-15T12:13:53.874-05:00John Shephard: I thought I'd add a few more of...John Shephard: I thought I'd add a few more of my favorite titles:<br /><br />Tunes of Glory<br />The Scarlet Pimpernel<br />Laura<br />The Big Clock<br />The Maltese Falcon (Bogart)<br />Casablanca<br />The Miracle Worker<br />To Be or Not To Be (1942)<br />Twentieth Century (1934)<br />My Man GodfreyEdward Clinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12160209827969614964noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5200276.post-797302608316333312013-01-14T15:35:40.914-05:002013-01-14T15:35:40.914-05:00Doug: If you're a fan of murder mysteries, yo...Doug: If you're a fan of murder mysteries, you might try one of my Cyrus Skeen detective novels, available now as print books as well as on Kindle. Edward Clinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12160209827969614964noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5200276.post-43408302767368892782013-01-14T14:24:15.606-05:002013-01-14T14:24:15.606-05:00As a fan of murder mysteries, I remember watching ...As a fan of murder mysteries, I remember watching 'Anatomy of a Murder' and wondering why I found the ending so bitterly disappointing. Thank you for clarifying that.Doug Mayfieldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14620167852028046807noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5200276.post-56486971812055530672013-01-14T01:53:49.863-05:002013-01-14T01:53:49.863-05:00I just read your Hollywood nihilism article. It is...I just read your Hollywood nihilism article. It is excellent. Two points, Hollywood really had no choice but to self-censor. The Supreme Court ruled in 1915 in Mutual v. Ohio that films weren't protected by the First Amendment. Hollywood preferred one understandable standard to hundreds from the states and municipalities and the Catholic Church and every random bluenose in the country. A big turning point was the demise of the studio system. For all the attacks they have suffered, the movie moguls did maintain some standards and quality. But, your point that many independent film makers were clueless about what they were doing is well taken. Sometimes, they weren't thinking about story quality. For example, Preminger often seemed more interested in rubbing the Hays Office's nose in the fact that they could not stop him from using previously forbidden topics than telling a good story. In 1956 Elia Kazan directed the truly horrible Baby Doll. Once some directors had complete control over their material, it became obvious that their judgment left much to be desired. The same holds true for Hitchcock; the moguls served well in reining in auteurs and preventing them from making fools of themselves. I think the key turning point for Hollywood was the mid to late 1960s. In that benighted era, Hollywood found that nihilism pays. I haven't gone to a movie theater in years. They now produce mostly rubbish; and, I don't want to give them my money for anything, good, bad or indifferent.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com