Cary Grant: The Complete Filmography - Watching All Of His Movies (1 Viewer)

[Nelson Au]

I didn’t know the Criterion disc was out already. Been distracted by other stuff. Thanks! And I’ve got some other new Cary Grant titles added to my library to get too.

By the way Josh, I should put this in the appropriate thread, but I did see your review of The Seven Ups. It’s a title I know of but had not seen. As you might know, I’m a huge fan of Bullitt, just posted in a Bullitt thread. I think it does influence The French Connection and Seven Ups. I’ve seen The French Connection, but not in a long time so my thinking may be way off in how Bullitt influenced those films. Maybe just in the grittiness. I haven’t added the blu ray of French Connection yet and I see there’s a better remaster of that, so as a trifecta, I could see adding both those titles with Bullitt. My affection for Bullitt goes on multi levels so those two titles might not reach the same level for me.

 

[Osato]

Ordered the Marilyn Monroe volume 2 dvd set. It contains Monkey Business which is one of my favorites.

 

[Nelson Au]

Josh, I just read your review of The Great Adventure as I just viewed it this evening, interesting that I got my copy from Amazon last year and it’s distributed by an outfit called Alpha Video. It’s a bare bone release and it’s the shorter version. It does look as hacked up, but I thought it was quite watchable and the dialogue was understandable.

I agree that you see the hints of the Cary Grant persona coming through in this film. It was definitely enjoyable. In the wiki entry of this film, it quotes a review of the film at the time that seems to have a similar reaction to the one you had, at the implausibility of the situation. I have to say that after viewing the film, I can relate on a different level to what Ernest Bliss went through. So I don’t find it that implausible. . No, I’m not a millionaire who went out and tried to make a living without the support of my millions.

I liked how the adventure made him experience so many things he hadn’t before and how the kindness of others changed him.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

I sincerely hope an uncut version is discovered somewhere and released - I guess it’s a long shot at this point that anyone would have interest in financing that but I think it is an underrated entry in his filmography.

 

[Tony Bensley]

It just occurred to me that Mel Brooks' LIFE STINKS (1991) is a variation of the story type used in THE GREAT ADVENTURE (1936), and no doubt, countless other films, and television presentations.

An unedited, cleaned up version of the latter would indeed, be most welcome!

CHEERS!

 

[Nelson Au]

I carried on with People Will Talk last night. I picked up a used copy on eBay at a very nice price. I read your review this morning Josh.

I had seen this film once or twice before on PBS. I had gotten the basic premise, but this time I paid more attention since I was watching the disc. Regarding the two plots, the girl and the trial, we differ in our reactions. Spoilers ahead!

Regarding the trial, I did read the Wikipedia entry on this film and I had not known that Mankiewicz was using this film, in a way, to comment on the communist trials that he felt were not warranted. I liked how that part of the film resolved that plot and took down Hume Cronin’s character. The story of Mr. Shunderson was very humorously told and was just crazy. He seemed justified. And his story clears up Praetorius unorthodox past.

For the plot involving Deborah, it’s not clear where the father of her baby is. The dialogue suggests he is out of the picture. Did he just join the army and leave? Or did he die. It felt like he died. I was more surprised they would allow a character in a film at that time to be pregnant out of wedlock. It wasn’t clear if Deborah and the father ever got married, that was vague. But on reflection, I think she said they never got married. So I fell into the noble side of the reaction where Praetorius decides to marry her. But on this viewing, I was able to see a romance brew where both characters were drawn to each other. So to marry her, he at least did like her. The reason I say he was noble was from reading the intro at the start of the movie right after the opening titles. They describe the story of a doctor who has such a holistic approach to heal patients, he will not necessarily do what’s expected. It says maybe this is not a real doctor like this in the world now. Maybe there is, they hope there is. So doing what a doctor should and give the patient a white lie so she wouldn’t hurt her self again made sense in the universe this movie takes place. I knew it wasn’t real plus the story is based on a play. I noticed that in your reviews Josh, and not just Cary Grant films, you contrast the story with real life and how the films are not often realistic. That’s an interesting thing to read as it gives a perspective from someone of a newer generation of movie goer. I’m a little bit older then you and grew up with this kind of story telling from movies of this era airing on TV, so it’s not so out of the question as I know it’s the way they made movies then. And I know you know that.

I enjoyed the humor this time too, as on the PBS airings, I was always somewhat sidetracked so I didn’t see it all. The bit towards the end with the model trains was so in Cary Grant’s character, that childlike behavior was fun to see. Plus the part of him conducting the concert reminded me of his performance in Indescreet where he was so into the dancing at the party.

I was surprised to see the actor who plays Deborah’s father. I just saw him in The Outer Limits in 100 Days of the Dragon, such a different character!

I agree, this was a bizarre little film. It was almost a fairytale. It didn’t seem like something Grant would not want on his resume, unless he personally objected to something in the story.

About the DVD, wow, this was a really good looking transfer. Maybe it was my Oppo, but the image was very good.

 

[RMajidi]

Scouting around for new releases on the horizon, I saw Talk of the Town coming to Blu in Spain - due November 14.

https://www.amazon.es/The-Talk-of-the-Town-Blu-ray/dp/B07J4GVJRS

I’m wary of Spanish releases, but this is branded as a Sony studio release with English and multi-language audio and subtitles.

This might also be a precursor for release in other territories (Twilight Time or Criterion in the US perhaps?)

Amazon no longer ships into Australia due to disputes with the Oz government over sales tax collection, so I’m unable to order this from Spain to compare with the DVD. Perhaps others here may wish to take the plunge with this.

 

[Randy_M]

I carried on with People Will Talk last night. I picked up a used copy on eBay at a very nice price. I read your review this morning Josh.

I had seen this film once or twice before on PBS. I had gotten the basic premise, but this time I paid more attention since I was watching the disc. Regarding the two plots, the girl and the trial, we differ in our reactions. Spoilers ahead!

Regarding the trial, I did read the Wikipedia entry on this film and I had not known that Mankiewicz was using this film, in a way, to comment on the communist trials that he felt were not warranted. I liked how that part of the film resolved that plot and took down Hume Cronin’s character. The story of Mr. Shunderson was very humorously told and was just crazy. He seemed justified. And his story clears up Praetorius unorthodox past.

For the plot involving Deborah, it’s not clear where the father of her baby is. The dialogue suggests he is out of the picture. Did he just join the army and leave? Or did he die. It felt like he died. I was more surprised they would allow a character in a film at that time to be pregnant out of wedlock. It wasn’t clear if Deborah and the father ever got married, that was vague. But on reflection, I think she said they never got married. So I fell into the noble side of the reaction where Praetorius decides to marry her. But on this viewing, I was able to see a romance brew where both characters were drawn to each other. So to marry her, he at least did like her. The reason I say he was noble was from reading the intro at the start of the movie right after the opening titles. They describe the story of a doctor who has such a holistic approach to heal patients, he will not necessarily do what’s expected. It says maybe this is not a real doctor like this in the world now. Maybe there is, they hope there is. So doing what a doctor should and give the patient a white lie so she wouldn’t hurt her self again made sense in the universe this movie takes place. I knew it wasn’t real plus the story is based on a play. I noticed that in your reviews Josh, and not just Cary Grant films, you contrast the story with real life and how the films are not often realistic. That’s an interesting thing to read as it gives a perspective from someone of a newer generation of movie goer. I’m a little bit older then you and grew up with this kind of story telling from movies of this era airing on TV, so it’s not so out of the question as I know it’s the way they made movies then. And I know you know that.

I enjoyed the humor this time too, as on the PBS airings, I was always somewhat sidetracked so I didn’t see it all. The bit towards the end with the model trains was so in Cary Grant’s character, that childlike behavior was fun to see. Plus the part of him conducting the concert reminded me of his performance in Indescreet where he was so into the dancing at the party.

I was surprised to see the actor who plays Deborah’s father. I just saw him in The Outer Limits in 100 Days of the Dragon, such a different character!

I agree, this was a bizarre little film. It was almost a fairytale. It didn’t seem like something Grant would not want on his resume, unless he personally objected to something in the story.

About the DVD, wow, this was a really good looking transfer. Maybe it was my Oppo, but the image was very good.

I really love this little film in all respects

 

[RafaelPires]

Scouting around for new releases on the horizon, I saw Talk of the Town coming to Blu in Spain - due November 14.

https://www.amazon.es/The-Talk-of-the-Town-Blu-ray/dp/B07J4GVJRS

I’m wary of Spanish releases, but this is branded as a Sony studio release with English and multi-language audio and subtitles.

This might also be a precursor for release in other territories (Twilight Time or Criterion in the US perhaps?)

Amazon no longer ships into Australia due to disputes with the Oz government over sales tax collection, so I’m unable to order this from Spain to compare with the DVD. Perhaps others here may wish to take the plunge with this.

Thank you for the information! Just found out that Sony also released Holiday on bluray in Spain in July.

https://www.amazon.es/Vivir-Gozar-B..._SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=cary+grant+blu+ray

 

[Matt Hough]

#59 - Suzy (1936)
Viewed on August 22nd, 2016
Viewing Format: DVD-R (Warner Archive)

Suzy is a 1936 drama by MGM starring Jean Harlow and set at the beginning of World War I. Harlow plays the title character, an American showgirl in London who falls in love with an Irish engineer (played by Franchot Tone). After accidentally stumbling on German spies, Tone is shot in front of Harlow, and she flees the scene, believing him to be dead and wrongly suspected by the housekeeper of being the murderer. Arriving in Paris, Suzy resumes working at a cabaret, where she eventually meets a famous French ace pilot (Cary Grant). They quickly marry, but as the war heats up, Harlow discovers that Tone is still alive.

I have to confess that I was a little disappointed by Suzy, for reasons that may not be the fault of the film. This is a very hard film to find. Warner Archive only offers it as part of their Jean Harlow 100th Anniversary collection (a seven movie set), and not as a standalone; further, it's not available for rental on any of the streaming services. At this point, I'm committed to seeing all of the Grant movies, so investing $50 in a set for one movie was going to happen regardless of how I felt about it. (And the set includes some other movies that sound interesting to me, so I expect it will have been worth it in the end.) But after all of that hassle, I was hoping for something truly special. Instead, it's just another movie where Cary Grant is playing second fiddle, the replacement suitor. This was an MGM film but I think it was made during his Paramount contract as a loan-out (if anyone knows for sure, please let us know!) - and it has all of the hallmarks of one of the Paramount films in that there's not much vision to his usage. He plays his part well, but it's never his picture. Jean Harlow is great and a joy to watch onscreen. Franchot Tone is also good in his role as Harlow's first husband. There's nothing groundbreaking in the story or the direction; the actors are what make this enjoyable. I will say that the production values on this MGM film exceed those of the contract pictures he was doing at Paramount at the same time.

The quality of this DVD-R leaves something to be desired. As with many of the Warner Archive titles I previously reviewed, this one has not been remastered, and is taken from an older transfer. The picture is often washed out and lacking in detail. It's adequate, but no more. The audio is clear though not particularly vivid. There are no subtitles on this disc. A brief audio-only bonus feature is included; it's a radio promo for MGM from the time this film came out.

As a Cary Grant film, Suzy is disappointing, but as a Jean Harlow vehicle, it's a well-made if not particularly inventive drama. The leads are all appealing and, combined with the production values, manage to overcome a more paint-by-numbers script. The disc from Warner Archive is not available as an individual purchase and is not a particularly good looking one. Separate from the hassle of purchasing it, it's worth seeing if you like the leads, but I would be hesitant to recommend it as a blind buy given the ancient transfer and higher cost of the box set.

A few nights ago, I finally got a chance to revisit Suzy. Yes, Grant plays third fiddle to Harlow and Tone, but what most surprised me on this revisit was how caddish Grant's character was. He has this beautiful, loving, faithful woman as his wife, and he's off galivanting with a brunette who's not nearly as beautiful and certainly has no personality (and also not keeping his father company back home) and shrugs off his infidelity as normal, typical behavior for him and nothing to apologize for. I found him, despite an affable personality and gorgeous youthful looks, rather repellant in this. That Harlow and Tone manipulate the situation to maintain his hero status at the end is much more than he deserved.

Also, Jean Harlow had the most wildly eccentric accent of any movie star who ever lived. I don't know where this mix of culture and Bowery came from (she was a California girl, wasn't she), but it always strikes me as odd when I hear it in a movie.

 

[Rob_Ray]

Jean Harlow had the most wildly eccentric accent of any movie star who ever lived. I don't know where this mix of culture and Bowery came from (she was a California girl, wasn't she), but it always strikes me as odd when I hear it in a movie.

Jean Harlow was raised in Kansas City. Her family was quite prominent there.

 

[RMajidi]

This happened some months ago, and I planned to write about it sooner, but life’s been getting in the way. On the sad occasion of director Stanley Donen’s passing, I’ll share it here now in tribute to him as well as to the subject of this thread.

My better half is the head librarian at the public library in these parts, and she’s ever on the lookout to better serve the community. She had the idea to host some free classic film nights at the library, so she brought the consultation home for the whole family to have input into the choice of films.

Charade edged out North by Northwest by dint of the belief that many would already have the latter in some form of acceptable home video format, and would therefore be unlikely to go to a public screening. On the other hand, Charade’s studio releases by Criterion and Universal have not been issued in Oz, and the only home versions available have been the horrible public domain issues.

A healthy-sized audience showed up - mostly of senior age. They laughed, thrilled and generally delighted in the presentation and were very appreciative for the chance to revisit this gem.

Of those assisting with the screening was a library officer - a young lady in her early twenties. She’d never heard of Charade before, and was dimly aware of Cary Grant by reputation only. She declared afterwards that she had fallen in love with Mr Grant and that Charade was now her favourite movie. Hope for the world yet.

Incidentally, the second feature we settled on was Genevieve, the wonderful British comedy that portrays a friendly side-race amidst an annual vintage car rally from London to Brighton. This we figured would appeal to the local community, as there is an annual vintage car race in these parts too, and some thirty-odd years ago, before his untimely demise in a helicopter crash, a local collector bought the original Genevieve car and hosted a charity car rally named Genevieve 500 in its honour.

Genevieve is by turns a beautiful, hilarious, delightful and touching film for those who’ve yet to have the pleasure. VCI issued it on Blu-ray a few years ago, which although has its problems, is still a hoot to bask in, and is by a distance the best home presentation currently available.

Securing the license to screen these films proved non-trivial. One of the films was licensed through Roadshow Australia, but the license issuer for the other proved difficult to track down to the point that we almost pulled it from screening. Eventually, we discovered that Park Circus UK was the licensor, and all proceeded smoothly from there.

Hoping now to have more classic film screenings in the wake of these wonderful experiences.

 

[Nelson Au]

Great story, thanks for sharing.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

This happened some months ago

Dude...that is AWESOME!!

 

[Josh Steinberg]

Just wanted to mention that I have a few extra discs I'm looking to sell, including a couple extra copies of Cary Grant titles -- $12 for one disc, $20 for two, $25 for three, prices include shipping within the US:

https://www.hometheaterforum.com/co...rner-archive-olive-and-3d-bd-some-oop.361165/

 

[Josh Steinberg]

The Notorious Criterion Blu-ray is easy to recommend!

https://www.hometheaterforum.com/notorious-1946-blu-ray-review-criterion-collection/

 

[Josh Steinberg]

My wife and I celebrated our seven year anniversary (from our first date, not the marriage) yesterday. We both worked during the day and neither of us felt much like going out after, so we settled in with Olive’s BD of “Indiscreet” which she hasn’t seen. A favorite film of both Grant’s and my late grandmother, it’s not quite as good as I always want it to be, but the 80-90 minutes of setup is worth it for when Bergman turns Grant into a jealous, nervous wreck for the final 15 minutes or so.

 

[davidmatychuk]

My wife and I celebrated our seven year anniversary (from our first date, not the marriage) yesterday. We both worked during the day and neither of us felt much like going out after, so we settled in with Olive’s BD of “Indiscreet” which she hasn’t seen. A favorite film of both Grant’s and my late grandmother, it’s not quite as good as I always want it to be, but the 80-90 minutes of setup is worth it for when Bergman turns Grant into a jealous, nervous wreck for the final 15 minutes or so.

We just like to watch the great Hollywood stars, even in lesser movies. In fact, sometimes it's part of the fun, as if they know that we know that they know that the movie they're in isn't the greatest thing you ever saw them in. Classic Hollywood movies offer many pleasures, and star power is right up there at the top. It seems to me that basking in the light and heat of Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman with the love of your life transcends watching some movie. It's more like one of those things that makes life worth living.

 

[Nelson Au]

I guess I have to say that Indiscreet for me is not one their lesser films. I thought the first time I saw it it was a really good movie and I was thrilled to get it on DVD and later on the Blu Ray. Perfect blend of actors and material.

I like how you described A perfect movie watching experience.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

Oh, it’s by no means a lesser film. I think my disappointment is more that it was one of my grandmother’s very favorite films, and it was Cary’s personal favorite, and I wish I liked it to the same extent they did. It’s still top notch work and nowhere near the bottom of my list.