Movie #6: King Kong! Or really, DON'T BE STUPID AND BRING A MUTANT GORILLA TO NEW YORK

Title: King Kong

Director: Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack

Starring: Fay Wray, Robert Armstrong, Bruce Cabot

Number on the AFI List: 41

Year: 1933

MY FIRST TALKIE!

"It was beauty killed the beast!" 

Note to self: if a director asks you to leave with him the next day on a boat to an island with no name in order to star in his next big feature, just say no. Also note to self: If you do end up saying yes, don't let the director make the terrible decision of bringing the beast (who's just killed dinosaurs) back with you to New York. Bad ideas all around. 

This movie must have blown everyones mind's back in the 1930s. It was impressive to see the use of stop motion figures as a backdrop to the live actors; pre-computers, that was quite the feat! King Kong captured the desperation of the depression era but proved that even in desperate times you still need to be smart about what decisions you make. It's interesting to note the movie within the movie mirroring real life. King Kong saved RKO pictures from bankruptcy and was a huge risk to take in the midst of the depression. The director also told Fay Wray that her co-star would be "dark and handsome," which is similar to Carl Denham's non-descriptive lines he uses to lure Ann Darrow into making his mysterious film with him. The acting in the movie was typical film-noir style, with the damsel in distress always flailing her arms and covering her eyes, and the director speaking in monotone, staccato rhythm. Did I mention how GORGEOUS Bruce Cabow is?!

*swoon*

Timeless and inspirational, I can see how many films have been inspired by this movie, particularly Raiders of the Lost Ark and Jurassic Park. I was expecting Indiana Jones to jump in and save the day after Ann got captured! It was a huge RISK to make this film, and the risk paid off exponentially. 

Favorite scene: Climbing the empire state building. Cliche, I know, but that image will stay in my mind forever!

Will I watch it again: Maybe. :)

Movie #5: City Lights. Or, desperate times call for desperate measures!

Title: City Lights

Director: Charlie Chaplin

Starring: Charlie Chaplin, Virginia Cherrill

Number on the AFI list: 11. Rightfully so.

Year: 1931

The poster is a little misleading: this movie is not actually about boxing (darn!). However, it is a wonderful romantic comedy about the Tramp (Charlie Chaplin), homeless and penniless, falling in love with a blind flower shop girl. Blindness is not only found in the love interest, but also in a millionaire whom the Tramp rescues from suicide-however, the millionaire only recognizes the Tramp when he is drunk. If and when the millionaire is sober, the Tramp finds himself kicked out and even jailed. All the while, the Tramp just wants to financially help the blind flower girl. Typical Charlie Chaplin-esque antics ensue, but the subtleties of the discoveries in this movie, especially at the end, are what set it apart from the other films I've seen so far. It makes sense, considering this was made when "talkies" were already competing in Hollywood. Where Sunrise mastered the use of cinematography and interchanging genres, all the while maintaining a romantic feel, the acting and simple yet compelling plot line are what makes this movie one of the greats. 

Of course, Chaplin's wonderfully choreographed comedic moments are impossible to forget, including this moment at the beginning which had me rolling with laughter (it's the tipping of the hat that gets me!):

Further thoughts (as of 4:30pm on 7/24): This movie centers around the Tramp not being truly seen by anyone, from the blind girl who REALLY can't see him and mistakes him for a rich man, to the millionaire who only recognizes the Tramp when he's drunk, to the man who thinks the Tramp could be a successful boxer, to the foreshadowing at the beginning with the reveal of the statue where the Tramp is sleeping. All of this blindness creates an even more meaningful ending when the Tramp is really seen for the first time for who he is. Well done, Mr. Chaplin.  

Favorite moment: The one linked above, and the cigar lighting scene in the restaurant.

I've decided to get rid of the "least favorite moment" question until I find a movie with a least favorite scene! 

Will I watch it again: Yes!

For your viewing pleasure:

Movie #4: Sunrise, a Song of Two Humans. Or, THERE IS HOPE!

Title: Sunrise, a Song of Two Humans

Director: F.W. Murnau

Starring: George O'Brien and Janet Gaynor

Number on the AFI List: 82 (way too far down the list, in my opinion)

Year: 1927

I'm still trying to figure out how to articulate how beautiful this movie is. From the spectacular cinematography, to the wonderful use of dramatic irony, keen direction, flashbacks, and symbolism throughout...I'm starting to wonder why Hollywood ever needed to create talkies! I don't want to give away too much of the plot. Just know that this is a movie definitely worth watching, the morality expressed is still relevant today, and the acting is superb. What I find most fascinating is you never quite know what genre of film you're watching. Is it a thriller? Drama? Comedy? However, the lack of genre clarity is not distracting and flows easily throughout the film. Also, can we talk about how beautiful Janet Gaynor is AND how much she looks like Amanda Seyfried? Or maybe its Dakota Fanning. 

Favorite Scene: The church scene. And the end. What a pay off! Oh, and the drunk pig. That was a fun moment. 

Least favorite scene: I don't have one.

Will I watch it again: Yes. Every Friday night. 

For your viewing pleasure:

Movie #3: The General. Or, THE GREAT LOCOMOTIVE CHASE!

Title: The General

Directors: Clyde Bruckman, Buster Keaton

Starring actors: Buster Keaton, Marion Mack

Number on the AFI list: 18

Year: 1927

Sometimes it's fun to look at the Union as the enemy! Based on true events from the Civil War, The General is about a locomotive engineer, Johnnie Gray, who was denied the chance to enlist in the Confederate army because he was invaluable to the South as a train operator. He of course proves his worthiness to be a soldier-and to win the girl!-as he singlehandedly chases down Union soldiers, discovers their battle plans, and returns to the South (girl in tow) in order to warn the Confederacy of the upcoming attack from the North. (I don't know about you, but I'm thinking Captain America could have gotten some inspiration from this movie with the whole you-can't-join-us-but-then-you-prove-you're-worthy plot). 

Stonefaced Keaton is as funny as they come. Slapstick schticks like sitting on the coupling rods of a train as it slowly moves away and death defying stunts as Keaton literally runs and jumps and climbs over the train like an expert stole the show for me. 

One has to wonder how slow the trains were actually going and if they sped up the footage later (probably), but it was fun to watch nonetheless. Beyond the humor was great storytelling. The plot was easy to follow and smoothly transitioned, with each scene building intensity like a runaway train. It was also fun to watch this movie for a brief moment with my roommate, Rachel, who's exclamations expressed what everyone would be thinking at each moment: "He's so dumb!" "It's only one guy!" "What are they doing?" "She's curvy!" (Yes, shout out to Marion Mack who didn't have to succumb to Hollywood body standards). 

It's interesting to note that during this time of Hollywood history, the rise of the movie star was taking place with Keaton and Charlie Chaplin being the two biggest names of this day and age. Also at this time neither of them were hired by any of the major movie companies- MGM, Warner Bros, Universal, or Paramount. They were true indie filmmakers way back in the beginning of Hollywood. 

Favorite scene: The moment linked above.

Least favorite scene: I don't have one!

Will I watch it again?: Yes. 

For your viewing pleasure:

Movie #2: The Gold Rush. Or, Charlie Chaplin is a genius.

Title: The Gold Rush

Director: Charlie Chaplin

Starring actors: Charlie Chaplin, Georgia Hale, Mack Swain

Number on the AFI List: 58

Year: 1925

I have to admit, I may have cheated on this one a bit. I watched the narrated version. I know, I know. It's not TRULY the 1925 version. But it was the only version on YouTube that didn't look grainy! 

Set in the snowy mountains of Alaska, The Gold Rush follows the story of The Lone Prospector (Charlie Chaplin) in his quest to find gold. Along the way, he falls in love with a dancer named Georgia and many iconic moments take place with him trying to win her love, including this moment where he accidentally ties his pants to a dog leash: 

And of course, the famous Oceana Roll Dance:

I have to say, I didn't quite know where this movie was going until the Lone Prospector made it to the Alaskan town. Even though there were many iconic moments in the first act (cooking and eating his shoe for thanksgiving, Big Jim imagining the Lone Prospector as a chicken, a bear wandering into the cabin), the movie really took off in the second act with the introduction of the love interest, Georgia. The Lone Prospector's boyish and awkward attempts to woo her stole the show for me, and the mishaps and "murphy's law-esque" mistakes leading to the happy ending had me laughing and yelling at the screen. 

Chaplin has said that this is the movie he wants to be remembered for. While I can't compare it to any of his other films thus far, I know this is a movie I will never forget. 

Favorite scene: The dance sequence in the dance hall.

Least favorite scene: The eating of the shoe. Iconic, yes, but also repulsive.

Will I watch it again: Definitely.

For your viewing pleasure:

Movie #1: Intolerance. Or really, WHAT THE HECK AM I DOING?

I recently decided that as an actress in Hollywood, I would love to up my knowledge of film history. I was a theatre major in college and had an awesome theatre history teacher (shout out, Totie-B!) so I have that realm of the acting world down. However, now that I'm pursuing acting for the big screen, I feel I need an education on where this all came from and how it has evolved in the last 100 years. So, I checked out A Short History of Film, 2nd edition from the library and decided to accompany my reading with watching the most recent AFI top 100 movies of all time list in chronological order.

I thought about giving myself a time limit. Then I decided that's too binding. I thought about not blogging because I know how terrible I am at blogging, but I decided to try it again (for the fourth time). I took one look at the length of the earliest film on the AFI list, Intolerance: Love's Struggle Throughout the Ages, and yelled "THREE HOURS?!" (three hours and 17 minutes, to be exact), and almost gave up right then and there. But I didn't. So, here we go!

Without further ado, here are my thoughts on Intolerance.

Title: Intolerance, Love's Struggle Throughout the Ages
Director: D.W. Griffith
Starring actors: Lillian Gish, Miriam Cooper, Mae Marsh, Robert Harron, Constance Talmadge, etc.
Number on the AFI List: 49
Year: 1916

I am thoroughly surprised that I was able to pay attention during a three hour silent film that contained four different stories: modern day (1916), Babylon, the crucifixion of Christ, and the French St. Bartholomew's day. All are tied together by a woman rocking a cradle (a representation of time). The movie explores how "revolutionary ideas have always been persecuted" (Dixon, Foster, pg 25). The director, D.W. Griffith, created Intolerance as a response to audience's criticism of his previous feature, The Birth of a Nation (criticism was warranted; it was a completely racist film). Griffith's mammoth production cost over 1.9 million dollars for him to create back in 1916. He definitely spared no expense, especially with the exterior sets. I mean, just LOOK at this set for the courtyard of Babylon:

There are no miniatures here.
Beyond the sets, the costumes were spectacular and the attention to detail to interior rooms was impeccable. He also filmed each storyline with a different hue to the film (modern was black and white, Babylon was yellow, Jesus was red, and French was green), which aids the audience to what storyline they are watching. However, the movie was a complete bust. No one enjoyed the multiple plot lines and people were still angry about The Birth of a Nation,  so Griffith ended up bankrupt.

Favorite plot line: Modern. Mae Marsh was fantastic as The Dear One. Vulnerable, sympathetic, tragic. A new acting inspiration.
Least favorite plot: French. I lost track of this storyline. Didn't care. I hated green by the end of the movie.

Overall, I was floored by Griffith's attention to detail and was surprised at how much I enjoyed the acting of these silent film stars.

Will I watch it again: Probably not.

For your viewing pleasure: