Was that India comment directed at me, or someone else. If it was me, I don't understand it.
Anyway, I said I wanted to express frustration with one of my recent films. Here it is:
Rosemary's Baby
Two hours into this film, I loved it. A brilliant perfect film. I had watched Chinatown earlier in the week, and found that to be absolutely perfect, and I had the same reaction watching Rosemary's Baby. I could understand it's high placing (#9 in the Thrills list). It was such a perfect thriller/horror, I would willingly have gone anywhere with the film.
Nine minutes later, the film ended, and I HATED the film. In fact, in my mind it is a perfect example of how a bad ending can completely destory all of the good work that had gone before.
Spoiler:
Had they ended the film after Rosemary had given birth and learned the baby was dead, that would be a nicely ambiguous ending - were they devil-worshippers or not? Or, if they had carried the film on, announcing either that they were or were not devil-worshippers, that would be fine also.
But the revelation that the baby was the drug-rape spawn of Satan was just silly. It may have been hinted at in the dream at the time of the rape, but it was just an awful ending. A film that was subtle and delicate ad perfect ends with a completely over-the-top ending that belonged in a different film.
And the notion of Rosemary going all maternal over the child was awful. Sure, it's her child, but it's also THE CHILD OF SATAN, and I'm sure even a lapsed Catholic would be bothered by that. Rosemary is surprised, even shocked by that, but it doesn't take long before she turns and goes back because she loves her son. I can't see the maternal instinct going that far.
It wasn't all bad. I did appreciate the fact that the neighbours didn't start chanting and wearing robes - they were ordinary people clebrating what they believed to be a happy event. And, given that approach, I was amused by the notion of the Asian guy all excited about taking a photo of the mother - I think I could buy that happening.
But it truly was incredible how quickly the film deteriorated. 95 percent of the film was wonderful, brilliant, well worth watching. The last 5 percent - absolute train-wreck.
The only other thing that bothered me was the point where the baby was concieved.
Spoiler:
So, she goes to sleep clothed, wakes up naked, and he says "Yeah, you passed out, so I had sex with you anyway because it was sex night." And she protests slightly, but doesn't actually seem to be too bothered by it? Don't buy it. But the worst thing was that the unconscious sex story was the best cover story he could come up with? How about "you were quite drunk, we had sex, then you passed out. You don't remember? Must be the alcohol." I mean, don't people forget stuff after they've been drinking. Couldn't that have worked as a cover story, rather than the pseudo-necrophilia explanation? Sure, it shows the audience that something weird is going on, but I just couldn't accept that that story would work.
So that is my view of Rosemary's Baby.
AFI Top 100 lists: 100 Movies, 100 Thrills - Completed 100 Laughs - 24 to go - last seen: The Freshman 100 Passions - 39 to go - last seen: Breakfast At Tiffany's 100 Heroes & Villains - 10 to go - last seen: Tom Powers in The Public Enemy 100 Songs - 45 to go - last seen: "Moon River" from Breakfast At Tiffany's 100 Quotes - 19 to go - last seen: "Toga! Toga!" in Animal House 100 Years of Film Scores - 3 to go - last seen: How the West Was Won 100 Cheers - 43 to go - last seen: Philadelphia
TOTAL (458 movies) - 145 to go - My AFI movie list here.
When you wish upon a star;
Makes no difference who you are;
As it makes no difference who you are in watching Pinocchio, Walt Disney’s watered-down version of the Italian fairy tale. But this was the old Disney studio, where his classic, full-length cartoons still contained plenty of darkness to leaven the story. They knew then what truly appeals to children and that was a story where evil lurks around the corner and where we know that evil is not that easy to identify—and where a bad choice has consequences—no matter the intention.
Great animation, some good music (and one great song) combione with the classic tale to make a classic film.
Saving Private Ryan, is an old-fashioned war movie. In the end, even though we are presented with one of the most accurate depictions of the horror of war captured on film ever, the film justifies the carnage and cruelty and sacrifice as being both right and necessary—though to be sure the ‘right’ is often lost by the participants.
Now this is not to say that Spielberg is wrong in his film, only that this is the view he is presenting—and as usual, he presents it well. There are, for me, some places where he gets it wrong (for example he can’t keep from having the designated ‘coward’ redeem himself in the end) and the music is too often redundant, but overall a fine film where the filmmaker achieves his purpose.
It would be interesting to watch this and then The Thin Red Line and decide which makes the better film and which the better argument.
…the gentlemen of the day met the girls of the moment…
The introduction to Camille, a George Cukor film starring Greta Garbo, taken from La Dame aux camellias. In the Dumas story, Camille dies of tuberculosis, but Garbo in a big budget Hollywood film of that era, never succeeds in convincing me of her frailness.
Mostly I waited for some music from Verdi and as patience is a virtue, I was rewarded partway through when the score does indeed change as we hear (in the background) the love duet between Violetta and Alfredo—oops, I mean Camille and Armand.
To be fair, the film works better than the novel--but not so well as the opera.
It would be interesting to watch this and then The Thin Red Line and decide which makes the better film and which the better argument.
Are ya kiddin? The last thing the internet need is another SPR vs TRL thread!
I don't think there is much redemption for Upham as a matter of fact. Steamboat Willy's death is extrememly unremarkable, even outside of the gruesome standards set by the movie. We never get the satisfaction of seing the bullet hit him, we never even see him fall (we only hear it), making that experience very unsatisfying and ultimately pointless. I believe that was the point.
Never would have thought I'd be knocking off 5 Passions in a row
The Shop Around the Corner
Another movie where based solely on TiVo's description I would have skipped it, but ended up thoroughly enoying it.
The Philadelphia Story
Great cast, great acting, great movie! From what I can recall this was the first Katharine Hepburn movie I've seen. In addition to the main trio I really got a kick out the role of Dinah.
Bringing Up Baby
The plot is a little bit out there, but the movie is a blast. As good as Hepburn was in The Philadelphia Story I enjoyed her even more in this movie.
Woman of the Year
This wasn't a bad movie, but it definitely pales in comparison to the prior two.
It Happened One Night
I liked this movie but it doesn't quite make a "must see" in my book. Got a kick out of the "wall of Jericho" ending.
AFI challenges:
Movies - Last seen: Raging Bull, 68 to go
Laughs - Last seen: It Happened One Night, 82 to go
Thrills - Last seen: Raging Bull, 67 to go
Passions - Last seen: The African Queen, 83 to go
Heroes and Villains - Last seen: Max Cady - Cape Fear, 73 to go
As it makes no difference who you are in watching Pinocchio, Walt Disney’s watered-down version of the Italian fairy tale
Lew, if it's no problem, can you fill me in (or us if anybody else is interested) on what some of the differences between the original source material and the Disney interpretation are?
