They Don't Make 'Em Like They Used To...

Regarding To Catch A Thief, that is also cheap in HMV. I meant to say The Man Who Knew Too Much, rather than what I called it. Are Rope of Frenzy any good?

I watched The BirRAB the other day for the first time (it is quite depressing how many great films I still haven't seen) and I found it to have so much atmosphere and compared to some of today's so called suspense films, believable. Not so much the actual events, but through the way it was told. I watched the documentary about how it was made, and I couldn't believe the end shot was from 24 pieces of film. Usually certain films I may start to watch and lose interest, but The BirRAB isn't one. Looking at the 250 odd films I've got, if I had to be stuck with 5 only, they would be ones from the 50s and 60s. I may sneak Pulp Fiction or The Usual Suspects in there but I can't think of much else from the past few years
 
I actually think a contemporary movie like Good Night, and Good Luck matches any of the classics (no, not because it was shot in B&W).

It's certainly a myth that all the productions during the Golden Era(s) were great.

I'd still pay for a cinema ticket though to see a screening of Angels with Dirty Faces. :)
 
We do need to be realistic about films both old and new. Some old films were very good indeed as are some more modern films, but there have been some really turkeys made right throughout the history of the motion picture. There's also a subjective point of view that neeRAB to be taken into consideration. I really disliked Orson Welles and found his films very tedious but I know people of my peer group (a slightly older one) who rave about Citizen Kane and the Magnificent Ambersons. Someone on this thread criticized Jimmie Stewart's acting - I have to say that I love Jimmie and would gladly watch any film he's in. Regulars on this forum may have spotted that It's a Wonderful Life is my all time favourite film, and I can't imagine any other actor taking the role of George Bailey and giving such pathos to the character. There are some outstanding performances in more recent films that I believe have led to the foundation of the classics of the future. One such performance that I has stayed with me is that of Russell Crowe in A Beautiful Mind. It will be interesting to see which films are still talked about in 40 or 50 years time. Unfortunately I very much doubt I will be around to know!!
 
I haven't seen "Rope" yet, but I would like to and will no doubt get the DVD soon. What did you think of "The Man Who Knew Too Much" - it has always been one of my favourites but isn't one of Hitch's best loved films. I also would like to see "Dial M For Murder" which I believe stars Grace Kelly - again, it is not generally regarded as one of Hitch's finest works.

If you are interested in other great Directors of this time period I recommend you watch some Billy Wilder movies. He produced some simply amazing work and is a true great of film. Some of his best to look out for include

"The Seven Year Itch"
Hillarious, classic comedy from the 1950's. Features a stunning Marilyn Monroe at her very best. Contains the iconic "Marilyn's Blown Dress over Subway" scene.

"Double Indemnity"
Classic film noir. Moody, dark and thrilling. Barbara Stanwyck at her finest. Simply a must see.

"Sunset Blvd."
Another great film noir. A struggling writer is employed by an aging ex-Silent Movie Star, but soon discovers she is quite mad. A fascinating insight into the darker side of Hollywood film making - "Mr. Deville, I'm ready for my close-up now."

"Some Like It Hot"
To me, the greatest comedy movie of all time. No question about it. A troubled Monroe was reportedly at her worst behaviour during the making of this, but whatever was needed to create this absoloute gem was well worth it. A masterpiece.

Those are three great ones to kick off with IMO. All absoloutley stunning piece of work. Following that try "The Lost Weekend" and then "The Appartment" - my favourite Jack Lemmon flick. :)
 
I'm with you on Citizen Kane .... I never could see what all the fuss was about

Although having said that, I think it was probably seminal more in it's approach to film making and use of camera than in terms of entertainment

I did like The Magnificent Ambersons though ... mainly because I just love Joseph Cotton
 
Try Amazon.co.uk - they offer a very wide selection of classic films on DVD and you can usually pick them up cheaply - but brand new - from independent sellers who use the site to list thier items.

Have used this feature of the site many, many times and it always works very well for me indeed.
 
I was more talking about films on the established list of "classics" being considered untouchable in some way, rather than old films in general.
 
My 13yr old daughter who suffers from rheumatoid arthritis has spent alot of time off school lately due to a flare up of her condition. one day we sat and watched "The seven year itch" one of my favourites and she became fascinated with Marilyn Monroe. I encouraged her to find out more about her (as I was getting nowhere with trying to get her to do school work). She has her own lap top and thanks to the internet is now obsessed with old hollywood films and especially the actresses. The amount of pictures she has found on the internet is unbelievable. She loves the glamour and each of her favourites have their own folder with picures of them, their homes and facts about their lives. Her personal favourites are:
Marilyn Monroe,Jean Harlow,Carole lombard,Joan Crawford, Grace Kelly, Virginia Mayo and Betty Grable, Cary Grant and John Wayne. She has even ventured into the "silent era" and loves Mary Pickford (although the only film we have managed to get hold of was "Cinderella") Clara Bow (only seen clips of "Wings") and laughs out loud to Laurel and Hardy and Charlie Chaplain.
When I asked her why she prefered the older actresses to the newer ones. She said it's because it all seems like a great big wonderfull fairytale. She is right :)

P.S My daughter has cost me a fortune in original signed photo's on ebay but I am so proud of her.
 
Thanks for that. I would rather buy them brand new and now I just need to see which ones I want to get next. The 3 main ones I want are Citizen Kane, The Third Man and It's A Wonderful Life
 
I have nearly completed my Alfred Hitchcock collection and although a lot of his films have the same central idea, I really enjoy them. This is what I love about older films. Shame they had censorship problems in the 50s with the Review Board
 
Hollywood is just a corrupt little cartel now. They complain about evil "pirates" ruining their business but "actors" still manage to make tens of millions of dollars per year and the studios can still massively bankroll obviously awful films.

I'm not keen on those Old Old films;) but I love a lot of 80s ones. I haven't seen a great film in years.
 
And don't forget the great Barbara Stanwycke or Ingrid Bergman, although I've never been a big John Wayne fan. I might have to sit down and watch some of his films and re-appraise my views
 
What a lovely hobby for a youngster to have in this day and age

I hope she feels better soon, and am not a bit surprised at how proud you are of her :)
 
Ahhh, amazing film. You will love it. Has everything going for it. I love it because as well as being a fantastic movie for it's storyline and acting, it also has a kind of ''Golden Hollywood Expose'' thing about it. The main character is a cast-off has-been from the Silent films of the 1920's/30's, and in dealing with her problems the film also deals with ''The Dark Side of Hollywood''.

A must see movie. I highly recommend it. If you can get "Special Collectors Edition" http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00007KFOF/026-6725847-1344457?v=glance&n=283926

It has some great bonus featurette's with behind-the-scenes and analysis stuff for the film. It is also the best digital edition of the film available - they have beautifully restored the original B&W prints to thier original glory.
 
I agree with many of these sentiments. Certainly Sunset Boulevard is perhaps my all time favourite picture. Modern stars do not compare to those of the past but I do not think that it is because the actual people who were the stars of the past were necessarily greater. The media was still as voracious but far less intrusive so stars could preserve more of a mystique and glamour which is now lacking. People no longer really go to see a film because a certain actor is in it but base decisions on a far greater range of considerations.

There are still some current stars who are capable of enlivening any production in which they feature; some I would attach this accolade to would be Dennis Quaid, Morgan Freeman, Julia Stiles, Paul Bettany and Owen Wilson. The closest any recent female performance has come to something like Swanson in Sunset Boulevard is for me, Pam Grier as Jackie Brown. The whole idea of 'acting' is overrated anyway. The greatest performances are often when an actor portrays an exaggerated version of their own character as opposed to the obsession with character acting.

Another problem is that Hollywood seems to be scared to just tell a good story, well directed with genuine characters. Mainstream films are largely 'blockbusters' which pander primarily to a young audience. Their enormous budgets mean that it is too much of a risk to innovate and they are largely devoid of originality and thus highly formulaic.

But then outside the mainstream, with films aimed to a more mature audience, there is a reaction against this and there are many films that strive to be experimental and are random for the sake of being random. They also often are didactic or think that the insertion of some cod psychology or philosophy is both entertaining and intelligent. It isn't. The classic films were perfectly capable of having intellectual depth but this is never the focal point of the movie and is not allowed to overshadow the story. 'Goodnight and Good Luck' came close and had great potential but this was ruined by George Clooney's overt politicisation of the production.

I don't know if it is possible to recreate the old Hollywood glamour today, certainly with contemporary pieces. The black and white worlRAB of dancing to wonderful music, exotic clothes, smoking seductively and stars aplenty are infinitely more enchanting than today, even if it was only ever an illusion. Certainly stars could be cultivated, there are some great directors around and there are always stories worth telling. But to coin a modern phrase, 'The point's that there ain't no romance around here.'

Some other inexpensive oldies I would recommend are Kind Hearts and Coronets, The Bridge on the River Kwai, The Night of the Hunter and 12 Angry Men. Some of the recent decent would be for me: The Truman Show, The Village, Gladiator and Minority Report.
 
I got the special collectors edition of Sunset Boulevard, just can't wait for it to come through the post

I echo much of what ahmaniac has said. There's either the big budget, no brainer story, or the arty or off kilter ones. Films like Die Hard or Gladiator are good fairly recent films, and there are others but I find they don't always have as much of a replay value. That's why recently I have tended to stick to foreign films like Downfall, Nightwatch or Hidden for the modern era

It's like with war films such as Bridge On The River Kwai or All Quiet On The Western Front, the older ones relied more on story and less on effects. And that's the main point, as what makes a film is the story and I find less and less modern films now to meet those requirements
 
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