Movie #25: It's a Wonderful Life. Or really, "no man is a failure who has friends."

Title: It's a Wonderful Life

Starring: James Stewart and Donna Reed

Directed by: Frank Capra

Number on the AFI List: 20

Year: 1946

Senior angel: "Clarence, a man down on earth needs our help."

Clarence: "Splendid, is he sick?"

Senior angel: "Worse. He's discouraged." 

It's a Wonderful Life melts my heart every time. The romance between George and Mary, the goodness of George Bailey and his defiance against Potter, the disappointment of George's broken dreams replaced with the realization of how many people love him...I can't get enough. 

From the time Mary as a child says "George, I'll love you until the day I die," to their first date with George declaring  "What is is you want, Mary? You want the moon? Just say the word and I'll throw a lasso around it and pull it down," to George's breakdown towards the end of the movie, the relationship between George and Mary is a prime example of loving your spouse through thick and thin. Mary is a solid support for George in the most difficult of circumstances, a constant encouragement and friend. I love how she saves the day when the bank is about to be foreclosed. She is a true heroine of self sacrifice in her own right. 

I'm sure George's broken dreams were all too real for the men and women in post-WWII America. If you had dreams before, they were probably shattered by the harsh realities of war. This movie is a beautiful picture of what's important in life; beyond wealth, dreams, and getting everything you want out of life, true contentment is found in being surrounded by those you love and standing up for what's right. Even though it kept him from pursuing his dreams of travel and college, George couldn't let Mr. Potter corrupt Bedford Falls. Of course, his self sacrifice pays off in the end when the entire town, even those out to foreclose his business, rally together to help him, and George finally realizes how much he is loved and appreciated. Even his brother, Harry, declares "Here's to my big brother George, the richest man in town!"As Clarence said in his note to George, "no man is a failure who has friends." Wealth and riches will all come to an end, but relationships and the impact you have on people will last forever.

Side note: I'm really sad that I will never have the chance to marry Jimmy Stewart! 

Favorite scene: Oh man. Either the walk home after the dance or the ending. 

Will I Watch it again: Probably twice before the year is over! 

Movie #24: Double Indemnity. Or really, double crossing at its finest.

Title: Double Indemnity

Starring: Fred MacMurray, Barbara Stanwyck, Edward G. Robinson

Directed by: Billy Wilder

Number on the AFI list: 29

Year: 1944

I gotta say, Neff. You kinda set yourself up for this one. I mean, way to fall in love with a married woman just after meeting her (while she was in a towel, no less) and giving her every ounce of trust you have. That's always a smart move, especially when she wants to have her husband killed so she can get all of his insurance money. Oh, and then you sold him the insurance and created the plan to kill him yourself. Didn't you see the red flags?

I say that as if I'm blaming him, but I didn't see the red flags, either. That's what makes this movie so great. And what makes Barbara Stanwyck, who played Phyllis Dietrichson, a wonderful actress. I never saw the cards up her sleeve. She played the victim so well throughout the movie that I was just as shocked as Neff (played by Fred MacMurray) was when she double crossed him. This movie is a suspenseful film noir thriller with an excellent plot and cast.  There was never a dull moment, as each scene created more and more obstacles for Neff to overcome as he tried to hide the murder and get the girl. However, lies and manipulation will always lead to a downfall, which both main characters discover at the end of the film. The moral of the story: money is not worth an inevitable downfall, no matter how well you cover up your tracks. 

Favorite scene: The final scene between Neff and Phyllis. I don't want to spoil it, so I won't post a video. What great acting!

Will I watch it again: Yes!

Movie #23: Yankee Doodle Dandy. Or really, the legend of George M. Cohan

Title: Yankee Doodle Dandy

Starring: James Cagney and Joan Leslie

Directed by: Michael Curtiz

Number on the AFI List: 98

Year: 1942

Yankee Doodle Dandy is not only a wonderful film but a great theatre history lesson! I didn't know the details of George M. Cohan's life before this film, nor his contribution to the American theatre, but I did know his music. Now I know who wrote classics like The Yankee Doodle Boy and Give My Regards to Broadway. Along with his contributions to theatre, Cohan (played by James Cagney) played a major role in keeping up morale of US soldiers during WWI and WWII, primarily with his song Over There. This film is a great reminder of the importance of art and music, especially during war times. As President Roosevelt reminded Cohan at the end of the movie (*spoiler alert*), he is just as important to the American war effort as the soldiers on the field. 

Beyond the history lesson, the acting, singing, and dancing in this film were fantastic. From the vaudevillian act, The Four Cohans, at the beginning to the broadway shows (and of course James Cagney tap dancing down the stairs at the end), everything was spectacular and reminded me of my love for theatre and America. I only wish they made more movies like this today! 

Favorite moment: The finale. Especially Cagney tap dancing down the stairs and the end where he joins the soldiers singing! 

Will I Watch it again: Every 4th of July! 

Movie #22: Casablanca. Or really, the one that got away.

Title: Casablanca

Starring: Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman

Directed by: Michael Curtiz

Year: 1942

Number on the AFI list: 3 

"We'll always have Paris."

Casablanca. What a beautiful, tragic movie. Casablanca houses many refugees from war hoping to travel to Lisbon and then to America to escape raging WWII. It is a representation of lives on hold. Many people have been stuck here for months, including Rick Blaine, played by Humphrey Bogart. Rick is an embittered man, closed off to friendship and love, occupying his time with running his nightclub in the middle of the city. When Ilsa Lund, played by Ingrid Bergman, enters the club, we find out that she is the love of his life, even though they only had a brief time together in Paris. She was and is married to Victor Lazlo, played by Paul Henreid. Loyalties and morality are frequently challenged for both Ilsa and Rick, with their relationship hanging in the balance by the end of the movie. Should they run off together, or should Ilsa remain loyal to her husband? I won't spoil the ending, but the transformation in Rick by the end of the film is wonderful. 

The whole ensemble cast in this film is fantastic; I especially loved Sam played by Dooley Wilson and Captain Renault played by Claude Rains. Beyond the love story, the question of who to be loyal to, the Nazi's or France, left me guessing throughout the film, especially with Captain Renault. His transformation by the end of the film is fantastic as well. Overall, this movie is beautifully directed, well acted (even Humphrey Bogart toned down his film-noirness), and an overall entertaining and satisfying story. 

"Here's looking at you, kid."

Favorite moment: What can I say, I'm a typical girl. The love story in Paris. There aren't any good videos of this on YouTube. :(

Will I watch it again: Absolutely! 

Movie #21: Sullivan's Travels. Or really, "there's a lot to be said about making people laugh."

Title: Sullivan's Travels

Starring: Joel McCrea, Veronica Lake

Directed by: Preston Sturges

Year: 1941

Number on the AFI List: 61

This movie is my favorite talking comedy on the list thus far. I had no expectations going into it: no idea of the plot, I didn't know who the director or starring actors were, and the poster doesn't do it justice. Joel McCrea plays John L. Sullivan, a Hollywood director who has had his life handed to him on a silver platter and wants to become homeless for two weeks in order to relate to the lower class, and thus make a movie appealing to them-O Brother, Where Art Thou, which ended up being a hilarious comedy starring George Clooney in 2000 (but that's a different story...and this is a run on sentence). On his first attempt at this journey, he finds himself back in Hollywood and meets a struggling actress, The Girl, played by Veronica Lake (so funny how often names are overlooked in movies). She falls for him and decides to go on this journey with him, but a few setbacks later they're back in Hollywood again. Finally, after a series of unfortunate events, Sullivan finds himself accused of battery and in a chain gang, where he really learns what it means to be homeless and without hope. However, he finds that laughter is really what the poor need, not a depressing film that reflects their hardship.

I could say a lot about how this movie inaccurately depicts the poor, but social commentary aside, this movie is quick witted, well acted (subtle, not overt), and fun. I'm in LOVE with McCrea and Lake as co-stars, especially Lake, who threw herself into hilarious physical comedy without batting an eye. The whole ensemble cast was fantastic, from the producers who lie about their own hardships to get Sullivan to rethink his own life, to the reporters following Sullivan around, to the hobo's on the train. Well done, Preston Sturges. 

Favorite moment: The car chase scene:

Will I watch it again: YES!

Movie #20: The Maltese Falcon. Or really, the stuff that dreams are made of!

Title: The Maltese Falcon

Directed by: John Huston

Starring: Humphrey Bogart and Mary Astor

Number on the AFI List: 31

Year: 1941

Well, this was a fun one! From the beginning I was hooked with the mystery and high energy dialogue. Humphrey Bogart as Sam Spade wears the detective hat well in this fast paced, whodunnit drama also starring Mary Astor as Brigid O'Shaughnessy. O'Shaughnessy was my favorite character of the film; her lies and manipulation had me believing her for most of the movie. I was humored by how every conversation had to have at least one person smoking a cigarette; even when Spade was beating up on Cairo in Spade's office, he had a cigarette in his mouth. I also loved the cool, collected way Spade handled every unfortunate situation he was thrown into without batting an eye. He knew he would figure out the truth among the lies and come out on top. 

I don't have much else to say about this one. I had a good time watching it and will look forward to seeing more of Bogart and his film noir films in the future! 

Favorite moment: "When you're slapped, you'll take it and like it!"

Will I watch it again: Yes! 

THIS WAS MOVIE #20! Therefore, it's time for me to again rank the movies I've seen thus far. Here goes (based on taste rather than artistic achievement):

1. City Lights

2. Modern Times
3. Sunrise
4. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
5. Wizard of Oz
6. Gone with the Wind
7. Citizen Kane
8. A Night at the Opera
9. Bringing up Baby
10. The Gold Rush
11. The Maltese Falcon
12. It Happened One Night
13. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
14. The Grapes of Wrath
15. The Philadelphia Story
16. King Kong
17. The General
18. Intolerance
19. Swing Time
20. Duck Soup

Movie #19: Citizen Kane. Or really, is this about William Hearst?

Title: Citizen Kane

Directed by: Orson Welles

Starring: Orson Welles, Dorothy Comingore

Number on the AFI List: 1

Year: 1941

*WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD*

Stylistically stunning, Citizen Kane is a masterwork of storytelling and cinematography from beginning to end. Flashbacks used in the relentless pursuit of the purpose behind Kane's final word, "rosebud," were thought provoking and completely engaged me in the mystery. Why was "rosebud" so important to Kane? Where did it come from? Why do I care about this rich tycoon who is frivolously spending his money and why didn't he care about his spending habits or other people? The simple answer isn't just that he was rich and "rich people don't care about others." He said in his conversation with Thatcher: 

Kane: You know... if I hadn't been rich I might have been a really great man.

Thatcher: Don't you think you are?

Kane: I think I did pretty well under the circumstances.

Thatcher: What would you like to have been?

Kane: Everything you hate. 

Citizen Kane is a story of a man deprived of a childhood, abandoned by his parents, brought up by people who only tried to convince him what to do with his money, and the after effects of what he does in order to feel fulfilled in his life. All he knows is his wealth, and yet he has the faint memory of home. He collects artwork, builds castles in the air, marries whomever he wants, runs a continually failing newspaper, and yet nothing is satisfactory to him-all is fragile, made of glass, as we see in one of the final moments of the movie. Even the snow globe representing his home is unsubstantial. 

I was unsympathetic towards Kane until the very last shot of the movie when we find out what "rosebud" represents. At that moment, everything in the movie clicked, and I did gain sympathy towards this harsh man who only keeps people around so he can feel loved and secure-beautifully explained by Susan as she leaves Xanadu:

Kane: Don't go, Susan. You mustn't go. You can't do this to me.

Susan: I see. So it is YOU who this is being done to. It's not me at all. Not how I feel. Not what it means to me. I can't do this to you? Oh, yes I can. 

To me, it is the loss of childhood. No amount of money can replace the warmth and love of family. Kane spent his life looking for that which was lost in money, fame, politics, marriage, but as he died he realized what he had been searching for all along was lost in his youth. 

This is my theory that I'm sure will change as I watch the movie again. The boldness in casting and directing of this film earned it the number one spot on the AFI list. While it's not my personal favorite, I can see why this film is so important to film history. 

(Also, shout out to William Hearst whom I didn't know this movie was partially based on but totally caught on within the first 10 minutes that it was inspired by him.) 

Favorite moment: There are SO MANY COOL SHOTS in this movie that it's hard to choose just one.  But the moment of Kane being essentially sold off to the bank stands out in my mind-the contrast between the young boy playing not knowing that his fate is about to change vs. the stoic mother who is resigned to sell off her child:

Will I watch it again: Yes!