tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2856547151523423474.post4022669579149729244..comments2024-03-12T12:38:23.542-04:00Comments on The Kind of Face You Hate: Performancebill r.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17748572205731857892noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2856547151523423474.post-56103966064133326662009-01-26T17:52:00.000-05:002009-01-26T17:52:00.000-05:00See, that sounds good to me. And I realize that y...See, that sounds good to me. And I realize that you're in no way saying that <B>The Small Back Room</B> is bad, but the things about it that you say make the film "small" or "minor" make it sound all the more appealing to me.bill r.https://www.blogger.com/profile/17748572205731857892noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2856547151523423474.post-2395963689044437722009-01-26T17:19:00.000-05:002009-01-26T17:19:00.000-05:00Yes. You're right about all that stuff that's in ...Yes. You're right about all that stuff that's in <I>The Small Back Room</I>. And the bomb on the beach scene with Farrar is quite good.<BR/><BR/>It's definitely restrained. I mean, it might be on the same scale as something like <I>49th Parallel</I> or <I>One of Our Aircraft is Missing</I>, but since those two films have travels/voyages in them they feel bigger. Plus, <I>The Small Back Room</I> takes place mostly... well, in a small room.Foxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08067136509248849744noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2856547151523423474.post-79048655855623008362009-01-26T16:19:00.000-05:002009-01-26T16:19:00.000-05:00I've never seen The Lost Weekend, but I like Ray M...I've never seen <I>The Lost Weekend</I>, but I like Ray Milland, and I wouldn't have pegged him for someone made for "big" performances (which isn't a knock). I'll check it out some day, but I've simply never felt the urge up to this point.<BR/><BR/>I almost bought <I>The Small Back Room</I> yesterday, but I restrained myself. The Powell/Pressburger style is generall kind of big, right? I mean, given the time period? And <I>The Small Back Room</I> is more restrained, isn't it? Unless I'm pulling this all out of my ass, I think I might be able to get on board with that. Plus, in the movie there's evidently a bomb that killed everyone who previously touched it, so...bill r.https://www.blogger.com/profile/17748572205731857892noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2856547151523423474.post-74790547617960863712009-01-26T14:34:00.000-05:002009-01-26T14:34:00.000-05:00I agree with John on The Small Black Room being "m...I agree with John on The Small Black Room being "minor". I was really excited to see it when it was released... but I was pretty underwhelmed. But since I have such high respect for Powell, underwhelmed, isn't such a bad thing.<BR/><BR/>It's worth watching simply for John Farrar. He's great in it. Does drunk better than Ray Milland in <I>The Lost Weekend</I> (which, incidentally, is a BIG performance that I'm not a fan of... see, it all comes back around!).Foxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08067136509248849744noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2856547151523423474.post-15966806137239090522009-01-25T05:17:00.000-05:002009-01-25T05:17:00.000-05:00Yes, it's the best book of his I've read, in that ...Yes, it's the best book of his I've read, in that it's the only book of his I've read. It did make the Guardian's 1,000 Novels Everyone Must Read list last week. Technically I think that makes it a legal requirement. So hurry.John Selfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05761816149593541133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2856547151523423474.post-55417297306397915172009-01-24T19:18:00.000-05:002009-01-24T19:18:00.000-05:00All three, I think. I don't know why this keeps h...All three, I think. I don't know why this keeps happening on my blog. I'm doing something wrong, I guess.<BR/><BR/>Anyhow, I'd planned to read <B>The Small Back Room</B> fairly soon. You might still beat me to it, but I don't intend to let it languish until next year. But of Balchin's work, <B>Darkness Falls from the Air</B> is supposed to be especially good, right?bill r.https://www.blogger.com/profile/17748572205731857892noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2856547151523423474.post-4443302978795699882009-01-24T18:47:00.000-05:002009-01-24T18:47:00.000-05:00By the way is there supposed to be a blank space w...By the way is there supposed to be a blank space where it looks as though there should be a picture of Livesey and Walbrook? Is this postmodern, copyright related, or just a technical cockup?John Selfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05761816149593541133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2856547151523423474.post-85627075430973214732009-01-24T16:27:00.000-05:002009-01-24T16:27:00.000-05:00I think The Small Back Room is minor Powell & ...I think <EM>The Small Back Room</EM> is minor Powell & Pressburger, to say the least (or the most), but I do rate Nigel Balchin, who wrote the novel, and I may even get around to reading it before you do, bill. Though your edition is more entertainingly blurbed than mine.<BR/><BR/>Another vote here for <EM>A Canterbury Tale</EM>. I think there's a case to be made for this is P&P's best film. But I'm not going to make it, because it's Saturday night my time and I'm tired.John Selfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05761816149593541133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2856547151523423474.post-75331786510434835062009-01-24T13:28:00.000-05:002009-01-24T13:28:00.000-05:00You may have subconciously influenced it, in that ...You may have subconciously influenced it, in that while it's something I've been wanting to do, I didn't push forward with until after you talked about it. The last three movies I've bought are <B>8 1/2</B>, <B>Ace in the Hole</B> and <B>Au Hasard Balthazar</B>, and next week I'll either get one of the Powell/Pressburger movies, or something by Melville. I just feel better about spending money this way.<BR/><BR/><I>And the "four for forty" always wins.</I><BR/><BR/>Me too, generally, and you can definitely get a lot of good stuff for those prices. But my Criterion collection is getting pretty impressive (I think so, anyway), and I want to keep that up.bill r.https://www.blogger.com/profile/17748572205731857892noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2856547151523423474.post-82796557117029549172009-01-24T11:52:00.000-05:002009-01-24T11:52:00.000-05:00I'm at a point where I want to spend my pocket mon...<I>I'm at a point where I want to spend my pocket money on classic films (preferrably Criterion discs, but not exclusively) whether I've seen them or not, and even if I end up disliking a given film, I'll still be happy to have it in my collection.</I><BR/><BR/>Hey, did I influence that? I know I probably didn't but you remember me writing that that's all I'm buying now. And it is. I've greatly expanded my thirties and forties collection now. Many are around ten bucks and even being broke with kids we can still manage about two a week so in just the two months or so since I wrote about that we've gotten close to twenty more titles. <BR/><BR/>I've eyed <B>The Small Black Room</B> every time I go to Borders where they have it as well as tons of other classics but it's 40 bucks and I try to stick to 20 a week. And even if I save up I think, "40 bucks for one or four for forty." And the "four for forty" always wins.Greghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05730146625671701859noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2856547151523423474.post-29072336200997471412009-01-24T10:23:00.000-05:002009-01-24T10:23:00.000-05:00Goodness Fox, I've never seen you so positive befo...Goodness Fox, I've never seen you so positive before! I've actually never seen <B>A Canterbury Tale</B> OR <B>The Small Back Room</B>, but I still want them in my collection. I'm at a point where I want to spend my pocket money on classic films (preferrably Criterion discs, but not exclusively) whether I've seen them or not, and even if I end up disliking a given film, I'll still be happy to have it in my collection.<BR/><BR/>I'm no expert on Powell/Pressburger, and of the four I've seen, I've only seen two recently enough to have a firm opinion on them, and of THOSE two, <B>Colonel Blimp</B> is the only one I truly love. <B>But</B> I love that one so much that I'm ready to check out everything else I've missed. You've made me very keen to finally check out <B>A Canterbury Tale</B>. <BR/><BR/>And have you seen <B>The Small Back Room</B>? I recently bought a used copy of the book on-line. The edition is from 1950, and it's kind of hilarious. It looks very pulpy: on the back cover it says "It is the conflict between a crippled scientist and a devilish time bomb <I>which had killed everyone who had previously touched it!</I> (italics theirs). It also says that the book was recently "condensed to thrill millions in the March issue of the <I>Reader's Digest</I>". Man, I love old books.bill r.https://www.blogger.com/profile/17748572205731857892noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2856547151523423474.post-61549640579928453352009-01-24T01:07:00.000-05:002009-01-24T01:07:00.000-05:00Oh my god, I love A Canterbury Tale. Yes, I am an...Oh my god, I love <I>A Canterbury Tale</I>. Yes, I am an admitted Powell ass-kisser, but my lord that film is about just perfect.<BR/><BR/>The sequence in the church near the end? Oh mama!<BR/><BR/>And I love Walbrook in The Red Shoes. Seeing him in those scenes opposite Marius Goring with his back straight, hands clasped, feet together, chin up (ok, I may be reimagining it a little more than it actually is...)? It's just great.<BR/><BR/>And since were in this universe, David Niven in <I>A Matter of Life and Death</I> is one of my all-timers. "You are life, and I'm leaving you". <B>(swoon)</B>.Foxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08067136509248849744noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2856547151523423474.post-5769524706767280652009-01-24T00:58:00.000-05:002009-01-24T00:58:00.000-05:00Bill-I really like what you point out about Cagney...Bill-<BR/><BR/>I really like what you point out about Cagney's performance, that HE was the one who made the dispicable character sympathetic. Often I will attribute that to the way a director wants a character to be portrayed, but you're right that the actor has a lot more to that then someone like me typically gives him or her credit for. I think this probably goes back to me not understanding acting too well. I have gut reactions to performances, but listening to my wife or Jonathan or someone who has an acting background, I really learn about the sweet science behind it.<BR/><BR/>Now you've got me thinking about grand performances too. I spent so much time talking about the negative side of "BIG" performances over a Cinema Styles, but that's jumping the gun a bit, b/c I think about Daniel Day Lewis in <I>Gangs of New York</I> and remember how fun I think that role was.<BR/><BR/>I'm trying to brainstorm some others...Foxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08067136509248849744noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2856547151523423474.post-20328714694295334682009-01-23T17:00:00.000-05:002009-01-23T17:00:00.000-05:00By the way, for anyone who is reading these commen...By the way, for anyone who is reading these comments, I am officially reading <B>Monkey Planet</B> by Pierre Boulle, so even though I know nobody is going to read along with me, for my post on Boulle's novel and <B>Planet of the Apes</B>, you can maybe kinda sorta consider this my announcement, if you WERE planning to read the book, which you weren't.<BR/><BR/>The End.bill r.https://www.blogger.com/profile/17748572205731857892noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2856547151523423474.post-22944116076994459242009-01-23T16:55:00.000-05:002009-01-23T16:55:00.000-05:00John, as you may remember, I wasn't over the moon ...John, as you may remember, I wasn't over the moon about <B>A Matter of Life and Death</B>, although if it makes you anyone else reading this feel any better, I feel bad about that. But Livesey (and everyone else in the cast) are great in it.<BR/><BR/>I'm very much looking forward to <B>I Know Where I'm Going!?@&%</B>, and will probably, in the near future, buy the Criterions of both <B>A Canterbury Tale</B> and <B>The Small Back Room</B>.<BR/><BR/>Incidentally, in case anyone cares, I am able to cram in a reference to David Mamet by pointing out that he is a big Powell/Pressburger fan, and I believe he has called Roger Livesey the great actor of all time (or something like that). He also said that in his view the only bad performance ever given in a Powell/Pressburger film is the one by Laurence Olivier in <B>The 49th Parallel</B>.bill r.https://www.blogger.com/profile/17748572205731857892noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2856547151523423474.post-82010962513885756102009-01-23T16:10:00.000-05:002009-01-23T16:10:00.000-05:00Agreed on Livesey and Walbrook in Colonel Blimp. ...Agreed on Livesey and Walbrook in <EM>Colonel Blimp</EM>. When I first saw the film, only three or four years ago, I was astonished that I had never seen Livesey in anything before - that he wasn't legendary and at least as famous as Jimmy Stewart or the like. I immediately sought out <EM>I Know Where I'm Going!</EM> (at least in the UK version, it has an exclamation mark, bill, and I am never one to pass up the opportunity to cite an exclamation mark in a film title), which is 85 minutes of pure brilliance, and <EM>A Matter of Life and Death</EM>, and whatever else he did with Powell & Pressburger (er, that's it, actually).<BR/><BR/>I had the opportunity to see <EM>Colonel Blimp</EM> a year or so ago on the big screen, in a short season of Deborah Kerr films shown after her death. I think it must have been an original 1943 print, as it crackled and hissed and then stuck, and melted in the gate about 20 minutes in. If I hadn't seen it before, I would've thought that was a pretty nifty piece of postmodern editing on Michael Powell's part.John Selfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05761816149593541133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2856547151523423474.post-68395663625659941162009-01-23T14:36:00.000-05:002009-01-23T14:36:00.000-05:00I just bumped The Red Shoes and I Know Where I'm G...I just bumped <B>The Red Shoes</B> and <B>I Know Where I'm Going</B> to the top of my queue. <B>Queen of Spades</B>, alas, is not available on Netflix.<BR/><BR/>I know you didn't bring him up, but it has occurred to me that I should have written more about Barry Nelson in <B>The Shining</B>. I don't know what else I could have written, because it's such a small role (a "nothing" role, some would probably call it), but I've always loved his work there. I pay more attention to him in his two scenes than I do Nicholson.bill r.https://www.blogger.com/profile/17748572205731857892noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2856547151523423474.post-91514475321228224952009-01-23T14:18:00.000-05:002009-01-23T14:18:00.000-05:00I think Walbrook was excellent in The Red Shoes bu...I think Walbrook was excellent in <B>The Red Shoes</B> but my favorite performance of his outside of <B>Blimp</B> is in <B>Queen of Spades</B>. It's more of a one-note performance (obsessive desperate driven mania) but he plays that one-note <I>exceptionally</I> well!<BR/><BR/>Livesy is always good, even in small parts like the awful remake of <B>Of Human Bondage</B> and he's excellent in <B>I Know Where I'm Going</B>. But none of his other roles that I've seen him in required him to do very much except act easy going and likeable. I don't think many directors knew what he was capable of.Greghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05730146625671701859noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2856547151523423474.post-11977986418970330242009-01-23T11:45:00.000-05:002009-01-23T11:45:00.000-05:00Yeah, they're both incredible. And as I said, I w...Yeah, they're both incredible. And as I said, I wasn't familiar with either of them when I first saw the film, so my reaction during the first quarter of the movie was something like, "Who ARE these guys? Why don't I know them? Why weren't they in every single movie ever made??"<BR/><BR/>Of course I later found out that they worked plenty and I was just ignorant, in that respect at least. And to be honest, I still haven't caught up with their work as much as I would have liked to, or should have, but part of that is just because my first viewing of <B>Colonel Blimp</B> was only about two years ago.<BR/><BR/>I know both were regulars in the Powell/Pressburger movies, but what are some good ones outside of that? Just out of curiosity, because they're both so strongly linked to those filmmakers.bill r.https://www.blogger.com/profile/17748572205731857892noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2856547151523423474.post-13865301425362865692009-01-23T11:10:00.000-05:002009-01-23T11:10:00.000-05:00Those are all great picks. I think Livesy and Wal...Those are all great picks. I think Livesy and Walbrook are almost unnaturally magnificent in <B>Colonel Blimp</B>. I did a whole piece (I think before you ever started visiting Cinema Styles so it was a while ago) just on Walbrook's performance in general and his speech about Germany in particular. I mean, really, Walbrook goes from lovable, goofy guy in the hospital to bitter, angry war vet in the middle to world weary and wise friend by the end. It is a jaw-droppingly good performance. He and Livesy really do deliver two of the best I've ever seen in a movie. The kind of performances you can use to judge if someone else knows anything about acting. If they see the movie and say, "Yeah, they were pretty good I guess" then you can immediately assume that person is an idiot when it comes to judging a performance. <BR/><BR/>And Walbrook is not big or overstated at all like in some of his other roles, and he's still good in those, so it doesn't signal "great performance" to the novice but you clearly walk away thinking to yourself, "He was that character."Greghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05730146625671701859noreply@blogger.com