Dermo
9May12
I've always wondered why she didn't make it big in the 90s. In Being and Enemies she seemed to have "it" in spades!
I always thought that Ursula Andress never got her due as a comedienne. Besides her sex appeal, she had style, wit and an intoxicating self-assurance, like Peggy Lee when she commandeered a packed house. It came so easily to her. Andress knew she was a catch and leading men looked the better for it playing opposite her. One question: Where is "Perfect Friday?" on her list of films.
This film should be better known. One of a kind.
I think this is Cardinale's best performance.
The ending is a knockout.
What about "The Beggar's Opera." Talk about forgotten.
Day's performance here (almost) redeems a lot of her other work in film. If she was capable of doing this, why was't she given better scripts and better directors? Answer: She got mixed up with people who wanted to exploit her at the expense of her talent. It's the old Hollywood story.
This film and Paul Mazursky's "Enemies: A Love Story" offered Lina Olin her best acting opportunities, at least in this country. Either performance should have made her a star. Oh well...
An underrated film. Whatever one's feelings about the director-star, this is a considerable accomplishment.
It is amazing how well this film holds up. Maybe because most of the cast are playing misfits with magical powers, it has a little vicarious thrill. Granted, their powers are not really super, merely mischievous, but that works too. On another note, Richard Quine needs rediscovery. If people know Blake Edwards, they should know Quine. They have a similar sensibility.
Charles Boyer needs to be rediscovered. What a great actor!
For me, this is one of the top 5 Hepburn performances. She was born to play this role.
A beautiful film. Lubitsch must have loved making it.
Angela Lansbury is so touching in this film. It is a shame that with so much evidence of her abilities, And two Oscar nominations in two years, MGM limited her to supporting roles.
Weirdly compelling. I could not stop watching. Filled with dislikable people whom you could relate to somehow.
Dietrich is the reason to see this film.
Margaret Sullavan breathed special air. She was not quite one of us. You couldn't say she was a creature of the stage or screen because she wasn't someone you could categorize.
Maybe its time for a reevaluation of Charles Boyer's career. To me, he is as great as any actor in film history--Mastroianni, Cary Grant, Bogart, Chatterjee, Von Sydow, Guinness--you name him. Look at the list of his accomplishments. He was often more engaged and engaging than his leading ladies. My favorite performances are in "Love Affair," "Lilliom," "The Earrings of Madame de...," "Mayerling," "History Is Made At Night," "Conquest," "Back Street" and "Gaslight." He was also charming in "Cluny Brown" and many other films.
Ah, Sophia! Such a beauty.
An amazing film, and beautifully photographed as well.
For me, the only reason to remember this film is for Kristin Scott Thomas's bewitching performance.
A delicious and carefree viewing experience. Before MGM turned Jeanette MacDonald into an "Iron Butterfly," she was an exquisite light comedienne, under Lubitsch's direction.
Everyone talks about "Downton Abbey" but this film is a much subtler dramatization of the same time period. James Mason, Dorothy Tutin and the others in this cast achieve a more mysteriously beautiful bond than the actors in the TV series.
When people talk about "The Third Man" they rarely cite Valli's contribution but I think she is unforgettable in the film and a key component to it's success. She is the only main character who is traumatically affected by Welle's actions and who will clearly never recover. Cotten's "Holly Martins" has had no real direction in life except that which his friendship made possible. "Anna" has sought a safe haven from the post-war's outrages and thought she found hope plus great love with Harry Lime, only to be crushingly brought down. Valli brings a bottomless sadness and loss to her role and her performance, after repeated viewings, has started to take precedence over the other characters, for me. Her remoteness from us and the other characters, except Harry, only adds to our fascination.
Ever since I saw Jaffrey as Billy Fish in "The Man Who Would Be King" I thought he was a wonderful actor. In some ways he reminded me of Marcel Dalio when he worked for Renoir. They both exemplify humanity in its most basic form--tolerant, good-natured, sensitive to life's injustices, playful and, certainly, a little flawed. I have never seen him in a leading role but his supporting performances are very distinctive.
This film needs to be rediscovered. First rate performances from Robert Young and Susan Hayward with nice support from Jane Greer and Rita Johnson, who seemed to specialize in playing bitches. She was an earlier generation Martha Hyer, but with more humor.
Sometimes it only takes one performance to make an actress immortal. One guess which performance and which film I am referring to.
Did anyone have a sexier mouth than Gloria Grahame? Joseph Mankiewicz said that Ann Sothern had the sexiest mouth in movies and you can see a similarity in the outside downward line of the upper lip wing. Grahame's manner expressed everything her lips conveyed, though: cheekiness, availability, wit, and maybe a little hurt. She didn't have leading roles all the time but she was the one you remembered.
Great musical. Due for rediscovery.
Wonderful Marion Davies film. You fall in love with her here. So much happens and the pace is invigorating. Excellent support from Billie Dove and Robert Montgomery.The underrated Edmund Goulding does some of his best work and the script by Anita Loos ("Gentlemen Prefer Blondes") and Frances Marion is filled with wit.
Harry Baur is magnificent, as usual.