... that I'll talk about on this, all were at least good, but I'll start with the best. I managed to come into the possession of a copy of They Live By Night, which was Nicholas Ray's directorial debut. It's about two older men and a young guy who escape from prison, then how they survive on the outside. The main bulk of the story follows the lad (Farley Granger), who falls for the daughter (Cathy O'Donnell) of the man who first puts the fugitives up, and their life together on the run. My first comment after watching this was "Wow, I enjoyed that more than Bonnie and Clyde".
It is not difficult to see why in retrospect, it has none of the violence of that film, the characters are much more sympathetic and it's more about circumstances - that he is drawn back into crime by the 2 guys who helped him escape from prison and the obligation that comes with that rather than just proudly "we rob banks". This also ensures that the end (mandatory due to the Hayes' Code) actually has more meaning because we do begin to care for these characters (who are a truly *beautiful* couple) a great deal.
The acting is very natural, O'Donnell is lovely, she has a range of smiles not dissimilar to Mary-Louise Parker. Granger has his Bambi stare down pat but he aquits himself very nicely. There's very good support too, especially Howard Da Silva as one of the domineering cons. Ray though has some visual delights on show here, the opening shot from the helicopter is technically impressive, but there is memorable imagery, in particular the neon marriage sign when they pull up at the bus stop. This is simply a truly first rate movie, it's excellent in every area and is a very nice, easy watch - fully recommended to anyone.
Saw Greece's submission for the oscars last year, Eduart, and I found a lot to admire. It's a very well made film, structured cleverly and is smoothly told for all its gritty story. It's about a man who may or may not have killed someone in Greece before getting deported to his native Albania, where on his return he finds himself in jail for a crime he'd previously committed. Good ensemble, decent central performance and an excellent final 10-15 minutes which really add quality and meaning to the film. It's not fun, it's quite brutal, but I think it's interesting and it's worth trying to find.
The 1939 adaptation of The Hunchback of Notre Dame was on tv the other day and I recorded it and watched it. It's a surprisingly faithful (well, for the most part as far as it goes, and especially for the time in Hollywood) one starring Charles Laughton (replete with fantastic make-up) and Maureen O'Hara as Quasimodo and Esmeralda. Laughton is fun (he can even ham it up with one eye) but O'Hara is the movie, she's a delight. The style for the opening half hour or so is a little bit too much of the grotesque for my liking, it's rather garish and gaudy, probably the shadow of the very successful silent adaptation they were trying to outdo. It remains a good film though with strong performances which should have broad appeal.
Lastly, lovefilm sent me the French film The Return of Martin Guerre, which the Americans butchered, whoops, I mean "remade" as Sommersby about a decade later (I rented it for Nathalie Baye, who I've been seeing a lot of recently). Usual solid performance from Gérard Depardieu as the eponymous character and an excellent one from Baye who may or may not be his real wife. The structure of the flashbacks in the opening is interesting and Depardieu's charm prevents the endless trials becoming tiresome or repetetive. This is a fine, very well acted film which is worth checking out. If only all groups of films I saw were like this...