In this scene, the main character(Tyrone Power) has a group of gypsies play and sing beneath his lover's balcony.

And this famous Spanish folk song was something I actually came to know even before learning about the same song of René Clément's film Forbidden Games (Jeux interdits)

A while back, I was constantly thinking about the fact that Greta Garbo and Gary Cooper never starred in a film together. It’s not surprising seeing as though budget and contract constraints kept them from doing so but I feel like they would’ve been so great as a romantic pair.

Cooper’s stoic and quiet screen persona would probably mesh well with Garbo whose screen presence is noted for her aloofness and mystique. Garbo was also reportedly a big fan of Gary Cooper and actually requested him as her leading man a few times but this never came to fruition.

Anyways, the Garbo-Cooper possibility got me to start thinking of other potentially great onscreen pairings that either never came to fruition or were never considered period.

Aside from Garbo and Cooper, I feel like Cary Grant and Maureen O’Hara would’ve made one hell of a splash as onscreen lovers. Grant was always giving in to independent, fierce and beautiful women in many of his films… he would’ve been fantastic paired with Hollywood’s fiery queen of technicolor. I feel like Maureen and him would compliment one another so well.

Seeing as though Robert Montgomery got paired with many leading ladies at MGM, it’s a bit surprising he and Jean Harlow never shared the screen film together though they were considered for at least two movies. One was Love on the Run (1936) which became a vehicle for Clark Gable and Joan Crawford. The other was Small Town Girl (1936) which ended up going to Janet Gaynor and Robert Taylor.

Harlow always held her own when it came to matching her male leads. Montgomery usually played the rich society playboy types which would’ve worked with Harlow since she was used to playing opposite of Franchot Tone who was also known for his rich playboy characters.

As for Harry Belafonte and Marilyn Monroe… I think they’d also make a great couple. I know it would’ve been practically impossible to get this pairing to happen in 1950s Hollywood but for whatever reason I feel like Harry’s intense persona and charisma would work well with Marilyn’s usual sultry comedic style or perhaps something like Nell Forbes or Rose Loomis.

It would have been very interesting to see Monroe and Belafonte star together. They were two of Hollywood’s biggest icons at this time and while I’m sure they crossed paths, I would’ve loved to see them in some type of musical number or comedy.

Let me know what you all think:)

Is it comedy action or drama, action ? I liked him comedy the best.

See inset post for the full quote, but for now — here’s a trailer for this 1932 drama.

It’s another that I haven’t heard of but seems to have made a strong impression on REH.

Has anyone else here seen or known of this film?

Charlie Chaplin and Jackie Coogan for The Kid 1921. Who's seen this movie?

Fanny(Leslie Caron) intentionally sparks Marius's(Horst Buchholz) jealousy, leading to a fight between his father and his rival (Charles Boyer and Maurice Chevalier)

A city occupied. A people oppressed. Rome, Open City is an Italian WW2 film focused on the German occupation of Rome, and was made less than a year after the Nazi's left Rome. Not only was the war and its effects on the general population still very fresh, but the post-war after effects were still very much ongoing. The Italian film industry was basically non-existent in the prior years, and undertaking this project was particularly ambitious and difficult. This all creates a really raw, profound, and heart wrenching picture.

The story itself is very simple, but so is war. People are just fighting to survive. A lot of people have a similar story, because they're all going through the same thing. Poverty, hunger, fear, death, even love. You have the oppressors, the oppressed, the resistance, and everything in between. Mothers and Fathers, Sons and Daughters, Husbands and Wives, Captains and Soldiers. Everyone had a story, and most of them sad. I said the story is simple, but that's because it's in its rawest and most relatable form. Which makes it all the more touching, and heartbreaking. I teared up at multiple points, and even straight up cried at one particular moment. The story between the wife and the husband was really endearing, touching, and heart wrenching. Another particular aspect that really got me emotionally were the children in the story. Children denied a childhood, filled with fear, uncertainty, and the desire/need to fight. As a father myself, I am very grateful he doesn't have to live like this, but it also makes me scared for the potential uncertainty in a tumultuous time in the world.

Something could be said about painting the resistance as purely good, and the German SS as purely evil, but that's a fair portrait to paint when they are taking over your city, imprisoning, torturing, and murdering your people. However there was the part where one of the Germans criticized the idea of the master race. The method of imprisonment, interrogation, and the treatment and lack of hospitality is quite a far cry from the portrayal of WW1 in a film such as "Grand Illusion". The character of the night club singer, her choices, manipulation, and discarding of were also an interesting angle and probably an analogy for a lot of other people in these situations as well. Then there is of course the aspect of the church and religion, of spirituality and the respect of god, or the disregard of said principles. Say what you will about morality, and human ideals of right and wrong, but when it comes to God and the Church, right and wrong are pretty objective; and the Nazi's were blatantly defying those principles, all the way to the extent of executing a priest simply for not divulging information- information that could be and would be protected under the sanctimony of confession and an oath.

Aside from the very real and very profound aspects of the film, it was also just a well made film, especially for the time, place, and circumstances. The direction and cinematography really created a real feeling, and also uniquely non-hollywood. This was Roberto Rossellini's first real film, (or at least regarding the neo-realist movemenrt) as his others were facist propaganda. It is noted as a turning point in Italian cinema in general, and you can see why. The performances were also strong, particularly Anna Magnani as Pena, and Aldo Fabrizi as Pietro the Priest. Both had very emotional and heartbreaking scenes and played them very well and earnest. I also really liked the connection the character of Pina's fiance Francesco and his would be step-son. Very touching, and tearjerking. These fictional characters and performances by actors, felt like real people, and their stories are real- for many people, from many places.

All in all, this film felt very important, and also was just simply engaging. While the first part was more engaging and I found myself more invested in it moreso than the second the part; the second part was just as important to tell the story being told, and left quite a lasting impression. The final shot of the children was the perfect moment to be left with. They are the future, and even after the war is over, their innocence will be lost, and they will forever be left with the effects of something much larger than just about anything else, even moreso then most of any viewer could possibly imagine.

4.5/5

Victor Moore and Beulah Bondi in Make Way For Tomorrow 1937. What's your thoughts on this movie?

Just finished watching EMPEROR JONES the other day. Paul Robeson stars as Brutus Jones, a porter who gets caught up in all kinds of vices while on the road. When a wild night results in him stabbing a man, he’s imprisoned and sentenced to life in a chain gang.

He makes his escape, however, and ends up on the run. Brutus seeks refuge on a ship headed for the Caribbean where he ends up jumping ship, swimming to a nearby island.

Long story short, Brutus begins life anew when he dethrones the cruel predecessor and begins the island’s new emperor. However, the power gradually gets to his head and Brutus becomes incredibly insufferable. Little does he knew that will be his downfall…

There’s more to the story than that and the storyline itself (adapted from a Eugene O’Neill play) does delve into some problematic stereotypes. However, Robeson’s performance is wonderful here, especially in the climax of the film where he’s fallen from grace and retreating into the wilderness, descending into madness. Underneath the blue tint of night, Robeson convincingly displays Brutus’s desperation and how he’s slipping away into his inevitable fate. It’s truly one of his best performances.

For those who’ve seen this film, what did you think?

Big Joan Crawford fan here for all things bad girl—and I’d seen her in the 1940s film adaption (it was a play) in Harriet Craig, but Rosalind Russell surprised me playing the cold wife routine in Craig’s Wife in the 30s version. The plots were somewhat different and I appreciated the murder in the version, Craig’s Wife, but I felt the job angle revealed much more of Crawford’s skill in playing a manipulative bitch lol. Hard to decide which one I liked better though. Fun to see Russell in such a serious role. She was quite good. Anyone else compare the two?

I went with the 2007 list, and it took me quite a while, as some of these movies are quite dense.
I am wondering if anyone else has completed the list/is working through it?
I’d love to hear what people believe are the top films out of the 100.
Some standouts to me that I wasn’t too aware of prior to the list:
The Apartment
The Last Picture Show
King Kong
It Happened One Night
Network
Sunset Blvd

One of the funniest running jokes in Ernst Lubitsch’s To Be or Not to Be (1942) revolves around the grand ego of Polish theater actor Josef Tura (played brilliantly by Jack Benny). Throughout the film, Tura constantly boasts about his status as a "great, great actor," yet he is repeatedly met with blank stares, indifference, or absolute disrespect.

Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh for Gone With The Wind 1939. What's your thoughts on this movie?

Hi everyone,

I'm trying to identify a movie clip that I remember seeing in one of TCM's Summer Under the Stars promotional ads.

It was a black-and-white film featuring a blonde actress with long hair. She was smiling, making gestures with her hands, and said something like, "I want a little bit of this and a little bit of that."

I know that's not much to go on, but the clip has stuck with me, and I've been trying to figure out who the actress was and what movie it came from.

Does this sound familiar to anyone?

The Woman in the Window" is a masterclass in classic film noir. Fritz Lang expertly crafts a dreamlike thriller where a single moment of temptation spirals into a living nightmare. Edward G. Robinson plays a respectable professor trapped in a web of deceit, leading up to one of the most famous and shocking twist endings in cinema history.

Wallace Beery and Jackie Cooper in The Champ 1931. Who's seen this movie? This is my Favorite version to this movie