Old classic films

Over the past couple of weeks I have re-watched Citizen Kane, Sink the Bismarck, Seven Samurai, Gone with the Wind and Sunset Boulevard.

While I think the stories, cinematography and characters in these films are all first rate, the one thing that I have noticed which bugs me is the theatrical “over-acting” by many of the actors. I’ve come to the conclusion that this was just the established acting style for that time period since so many actors of that time came from either a stage or silent film background.

There is also the 'silent film' which were still being done til the late '20s.

While not a classic, I recently rewatched one of my favourite war movies Kelly's Heroes.

You know, aside from the music, that movie could have been made last year looking at the cinematography. I was hugely impressed by how great it still looks.

You are likely right for US film. The watershed in acting in the West was the exposure of the fledgling US film industry to Russian 'method' acting in the 1930s. Prior to the method, the direct translation of acting skills displayed in moving pictures was necessarily from the stage. Brando for example was notable because he was a method actor.

For foreign films such as Kurosawa's, which are post-WWII, he was evoking stylization even as he was inserting realism. When Mifune's character hams it up it's to contrast his other, darker aspects. His performances are often forgotten aside from the most well known Kurosawa films. Have you seen 'Sword of Doom'? Mifune is also fine in Inagaki's 'Samurai' trilogy of films.

I’ve not seen those yet but they are on my watch list. Outside of Kurosawa, the only thing I’ve seen Mifune in is the “Shogun” miniseries from 1980.

Maybe once a year I watch Ben Hur (1959 version) and man, they just don’t make ‘em like that any more! If it’s not rated as one of the top 3 films ever made I’ll be surprised. Maybe someday I’ll watch the recent remake.

Other classics I like and have watched multiple times, though not from the golden age of film, are Becket, The Agony and the Ecstasy, The Lion in Winter (O’Toole & Hepburn - brilliant!), Giant, and The Bridge On the River Kwai. Without generalizing, I think a lot of more modern movies put less emphasis on telling a story and more on effects, while in general the opposite is true for older films.

IMHO, I think the dialogue in older classic movies is usually one of the main thing that makes it a classic. I still think Bela Lugosi's Dracula is a great film.

I must of re-watched 'Seven Samurai' as many times as I've watched 'Battle of Britain'. Though I can't quote verbatim from the former as I do the latter though!

Just watched 'Snatch' again for the umpteenth time...best English 'caper' film ever made to my mind...if you don't agree with me I'll feed you to the pigs; they can go through bone like butter! Now put the kettle on.
"D'ya like dags?"

I've recently watched Reach For The Sky (1957) and Ice Cold In Alex (1958). Both heads above any modern war film I've watched in the last 10 years or so.

BD-123. Snatch is a classic. I wanted cheering up a few weeks ago so watched it again. There is so much great stuff in that film it's hard to pick out a favourite part. In fact I'm laughing now just thinking of it.

I'm legally obliged to post some 'best bits' of it here...

NSFW

Probably not a classic but i finally watched Helen of Troy (1956) last week, one of those movies i have had for years but just never watched. Man, times were different back then huh The sets were crazily cool but the acting and dialogue was shocking, stacks of debauchery and drinking and the old instant love that seems to be a thing with older films within two sentences upon people meeting each other. Seeing a young Brigette Bardot was probably the highlight of the movie.

Ehhhhhh, stick with the classic film, don't see the remake--I did, and had a lot of issues with it.

As for Snatch, well, that film is perfect.


Another classic worth mentioning is "The Hidden Fortress." I've only watched half so far, but supposedly this Kurosawa Japanese film is where George Lucas drew much inspiration for Star Wars, and C3PO and R2D2.

Not supposedly, it DID have a major influence on Lucas. I have the Criterion dvd for Hidden Fortress and there is an interview with Lucas where he talks about how the film influenced him when he wrote A New Hope.

The two bickering peasants in Hidden Fortress are clearly the inspiration for C3PO and R2D2 and the princess they encounter during their journey is clearly the inspiration for Leia.

Also the dramatic scene 'wipes' in Star Wars which segue one scene to another are from Kurosawa

All my Kurosawa films were on VHS and I had to leave them behind when I moved
Long ago in a galaxy country far away, there was a TV station, Channel 4, that had a run of Kurosawa films which I had recorded plus the local video rental shop's owner was a Kurosawa fan too so he had a good collection of them and I bought the ones I didn't have off of him.

At least I have the full series of Shogun on Bluray and also The Water Margin but that is a Japanese adaptation of a Chinese folk tale.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0059274/



Love this classic.

Ah; The Hill, one of my favourite British films of the B&W era!
couldn't be remade in the same mode today of course, being fat shaming, homophobic, racist, fat-shaming and not encouraging a healthy diet due to the promise of extra cheese ration at the end!

Favourite US film of the time for me, 'Cool Hand Luke'...,.'Getting up here Boss!"

I just watched the trailer for “The Hill”. If I got this right, this is about a British Army prison in North Africa during WW2 for British soldiers who have broken some kind of army regulation like desertion?

You got it right, it's all about...


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wp43OdtAAkM