"The HTF 100 Great Films of the 1930's Challenge" (1 Viewer)

[Lew Crippen]

And I also watched Olympia 2. While this film (or the VHS copy I rented) was better than the first Olympia, it was still nothing to write home about.

Too bad, as the images are great, and I think that a lot of sports coverage today, still owes much to this work.

 

[Lew Crippen]

And a big thanks (as always) to TCM for showing Stagecoach. While I’m not quite on the ‘greatest Western ever made’ bandwagon, it was still a treat to see it again.

Stagecoach

“I guess that you can’t break out of prison and into society and into prison in the same week.”

 

[Lew Crippen]

Just caught up with my TCM time-shifting to get King Kong under my belt. Once again, I’m impressed with the movie. True, Fay Wray may scream a bit too much, but the production is just full of virtues, including some very fine special effects and an outstanding score.

This 30s challenge is giving me an excuse to catch up with a lot of old friends.

 

[Rob Willey]

Caught Monkey Business last week. A little Marx Bros. goes a long way with me, so I was a little dismayed to see so many of their titles on the list.
My favorite line was Groucho telling the woman "We'll lodge with my fleas in the mountains, er, uh, we'll flee to my lodge in the mountains."
75 down, 25 to go.
Rob

 

[Rob Willey]

Speaking of Holiday, there's a clip of it during the opening title sequence of Igby Goes Down. One dysfunctional family watching another. Good stuff.

Rob

 

[Eric Peterson]

Finished three over the weekend:
1. The Adventures of Robin Hood - I hadn't seen this movie since I was a wee tike, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I noticed several jarring cuts in the TCM broadcast, hopefully this wasn't more than a few missing frames, but needless to say I can't wait for the rumored SE DVD next year. :star: :star: :star: :star:
2. Trouble in Paradise - I was really hoping for a lot from this movie since I'm a huge Billy Wilder fan and this being a Lubitsch movie who was Wilder's idol, but in the end I was disappointed. I didn't find it as enjoyable as several other Lubitsch movies that I've seen. :star: :star: 1/2
3. The Blue Angel- I'd seen the first half of this movie many times, so needless to say the second half came as quite a surprise. It took a direction that I was not expecting. Overall a very enjoyable movie. By the way, I watched the Original German version since it wasn't specified on the countdown which version to watch. :star: :star: :star:

 

[Lew Crippen]

Caught Monkey Business last week. A little Marx Bros. goes a long way with me, so I was a little dismayed to see so many of their titles on the list.

I had to time shift Monkey Business. And for me, its just the opposite. I always enjoy any excuse to see the Marx Brothers in action. The upcoming four films in ‘two days on TCM I view as a real treat.

“Sir, there are four stowaways on board.”
“How do you know there are four?”
“We heard them singing ‘Sweet Adeline.’”

 

[Grant B]

some of their references are a little obscure for those of us born in the 1960s but with a little thought, I still laugh.
And why did they stop putting out Marrx Bros DVDs? No 'A night at the opera'...'day at the races'....'Big store'. Come on even Love Happy should be out because it was MM 1st movie

 

[Jeff Bannow]

I guess I'll give this a go ... sounds like fun. My Tivo is set to record 5 of these over the week/weekend.
I've seen a grand total of .... drum-roll please ... 2 of of the list!
This is definitely a good excuse to play catchup to some classics.
So that puts me at 98 left to go ...
- Jeff

 

[Lew Crippen]

Boys Town

I’m getting a bit caught up with TCM via time shifting, but with all the Marx Brothers films on tap today, I’ll be behind again.

Based on your comments I watched this with (I hope) an open mind. And I did find the acting, especially Rooney to be outstanding. As were many individual scenes and set pieces. But the plot is just too sentimental for me to really become involved. Still, I’m glad to have had a chance to see this film again and to become more aware of its virtues.

 

[Grant B]

I?m getting a bit caught up with TCM via time shifting, but with all the Marx Brothers films on tap today, I?ll be behind again.

THANKS!!!!
almost forget
although I must say the Big Store was not one of their best

 

[Rob Willey]

Saw A Day at the Races this morning. Not among the Marx Bros. best.

76 down, 24 to go.

Rob

 

[Brian Lawrence]

Jeff has been added to the list & I updated the counts.
Watched Horse Feathers last night. 2nd time I've seen it, I actually liked it a lot more on repeat viewing.
Among all the great Marx Brothers films I've seen, I still liked Room Service the most and that's one of their lesser regarded films. I've seen most of them and "The Big Store" is the only one I did not care for.
Though not part of the challenge, My next flick on tap is "A Night in Casablanca" , which is one of the remaining Marx Brother films I have not seen yet.

 

[Lew Crippen]

Where's the seal? And I caught up with

Horse Feathers also. I’m still falling behind what with the Marx Brothers marathon, but what fun.

Where's the seal?

I’m in the Duck Soup camp as to favorite Marx Brothers, but I’m getting the opportunity to reconsider my view.

Where's the seal?

 

[David Dennison]

I am going to ammend my original count of seen to 23. These are the movies that I have seen recently enough to remember well.
The 39 Steps :star: :star: :star: 1/2
All Quiet on the Western Front :star: :star: :star: :star:
Bride of Frankenstein :star: :star: :star:
Bringing Up Baby :star: :star: :star:
City Lights :star: :star: :star: :star:
Duck Soup :star: :star: 1/2
Frankenstein :star: :star: :star: 1/2
Gone with the Wind :star: :star: :star: :star:
It Happened One Night :star: :star: :star: :star:
King Kong :star: :star: :star:
The Lady Vanishes :star: :star: :star: 1/2
The Life of Emile Zola :star: :star: :star:
Lost Horizon :star: :star: 1/2
Modern Times :star: :star: :star: :star:
Mr. Deeds Goes to Town :star: :star: :star: 1/2
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington :star: :star: :star: :star:
Mutiny on the Bounty :star: :star: :star: 1/2
My Man Godfrey :star: :star: :star: :star:
Snow White :star: :star: :star: :star:
Stagecoach :star: :star: :star:
The Thin Man :star: :star: :star:
The Wizard of Oz :star: :star: :star: :star:
Wuthering Heights :star: :star:
I have seen a few others, but they deserve a revisit.
Movies just seen this week:
Monkey Business :star: :star: Mildly entertaining at times, but I am not a big Marx brothers fan.
The Adventures of Robin Hood :star: :star: :star: 1/2 This was a fun movie to watch but a little dated at times. I can see why they called his band the merry men, because they were always overly happy. The legend of Robin Hood is very interesting although I can't remember reading much about it. I think my only exposure is through the Costner movie and the Disney animated movie.
My current count: 25 seen, 75 to go.

 

[Jeff Bannow]

Well, seeing as I had only viewed 2 on the list I decided to start from scratch.
In the last few days I got to see:
A Night At The Opera - :star: :star: :star: :star:
Horse Feathers - :star: :star: 1/2
Duck Soup - :star: :star:
3 viewed, 97 to go.
Looking forward to My Man Godfrey (again) and King Kong this weekend.
- Jeff

 

[Evan Case]

25 left (based on having to see 100 out of 102) after watching Mad Love (1935).
A truly bizarre and unnerving horror film which I had never heard of before we began compiling this list in the Best films of the 1930s tournament.
Peter Lorre (in his first American film) plays the psychotic but brilliant surgeon Dr. Gogol. In love with a married stage actress (Frances Drake), he seizes a chance to have her for himself when her pianist husband (Colin Clive aka: Dr. Frankenstein) has his hands crushed in a train accident. Gogol secretly transplants onto the pianist the hands of an executed knife-throwing murderer and, well, you can imagine where it goes from there.
Lorre, shaved completely bald, is at creepiest (and that's creepy). The film also contains some startling imagery, courtesy of director Karl Freund (he of Sunrise, Dracula, and The Mummy fame) and co-cinematographer Gregg Toland.
A must-see, if you can track it down (my copy was from TCM, so they do show it occasionally).
Evan

 

[Rob Willey]

Saw Duck Soup, one of the Marx Bros. best.
"This is a gala day for you."
"I don't think I could handle more than a gal a day."
"I suggest that we give him ten years in Leavenworth, or eleven years in Twelveworth."
"I take 5&10 at Woolworth."
"Remeber men, you're fighting for this woman's honor (which is probably more than she ever did)."

77 down, 23 to go.
Rob

 

[Eric Peterson]

3 more down!!
Little Caeser - Very enjoyable mobster movie, but a bit too compacted. The entire story of a gangster's rise to and fall from power in less than 75 minutes was a bit quick for me. Some incredible moments though!
:star: :star: :star:
Triumph of the Will - While there is no doubting the historical importance of this film, I had an extremely hard time watching it. The film was about 10 minutes shy of 2 hours and all but about 15 minutes of it was just troops marching around in formation. I had a hard time keeping my eyes open. I realize that it wasn't meant as an entertaiment piece, but this was a tough one. I'll hold judgement on this.
Mutiny on the Bounty - I really enjoyed this film. Truly one of my very favorite movies of the 30's up to this point. I'm ashamed that I haven't watched it up till now. If I had but one complaint, I would say that the actual moment when the mutiny is decided upon was a bit anti-climatic. The fact that it wasn't a direct act by Captain Blye that finally sent them over the edge, kind of ruined the moment for me. :star: :star: :star: :star:

 

[SteveGon]

Sorry I'm late!
Here's what I haven't seen:
L' Age d'or
Blood of a Poet*
Dinner at Eight
The Hound of the Baskervilles
Imitation of Life
Mad Love
A Midsummer Night's Dream
Olympia 1 & 2
Top Hat
Swing Time
Triumph of the Will
Umarete wa mita keredo
I have Blood of a Poet on DVD - I'll check it out as soon as I can.