Classic cinema - thoughts and questions

For some reason I don't like any Roger Moore Bond films. There is just something about the style I don't like. Also Sean Connery is easily the best Bond. Craig is really close too. I think he's a great Bond.    Goldeneye and Casino Royale are two of my favorites, too. The third would probably be Dr. No. I haven't seen Goldfinger yet.
 
I don't see why the Lazenby Bond was a failure. Maybe the film (though many fans seem to think otherwise, judging the rankings), but not him.
 
I've got to make a confession. I like suspense films, I like films that look good (great camerawork), I like good war films, Westerns etc... let's say all genres, apart from musicals. But I haven't told yet about something else:

I like John Wayne films.

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John Wayne, Randolph Scott and director Budd Boetticher on the set of Seven Men From Now (1956) which starred Scott and was produced by Wayne’s Batjac Productions.

Huh WTF, I hear you thinking?

And I can't explain well, why.. Maybe it's because they're easy to get or because they contain some nice action, or a combination of both. I don't like the man himself, and his acting wasn't that brilliant either, most of the times. But some of his roles are so hero-like that the little boy inside of me might be appealed by that aspect, who knows..

His early work, his 1930s Westerns, are packed full of action and stunts. They were quite simple, not that exciting, but simply fun to watch. And short as well. A lot of them were done Yakima Canutt (who also acted occasionally), one of Hollywood's most legendary stuntmen. He was brilliant with horse stunts.

For Ben-Hur, Canutt staged the chariot race with nine teams of four horses. He trained Charlton Heston, (Judah Ben-Hur) and Stephen Boyd, (Messala) to do their own charioteering. He and his crew spent five months on the race sequence. In contrast to the 1925 film, not one horse was hurt, and no humans were seriously injured; though Joe Canutt, while doubling for Charlton Heston, did cut his chin because he did not follow his father’s advice to hook himself to the chariot when Judah Ben-Hur's chariot bounced over the wreck of another chariot.

Wayne also had been a stuntman himself and did many things alone. Many B-Westerns before John Ford's Stagecoach (1939) -the film that boosted Wayne into major stardom- were directed by Robert N. Bradbury. These were inexpensively shot "Poverty Row" movies; often written by Bradbury and almost all of them featured character actor George "Gabby" Hayes.

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From left to right: John Wayne, George "Gabby" Hayes (without beard, I guess people might recognize him easier with his full beard, and when they hear his typical voice) & Yakima Canutt.

Later Wayne started his famous work relation with John Ford. He worked with Ford before Stagecoach, but not in leading roles. To be honest, many of the Ford Westerns are not among my favourite films. I have explained this earlier in this topic (link).

Naturally, beforel, in between and after Ford films he did lots of other stuff as well. Right now I'll give some Foro-Wayne overviews:

I have seen these John Wayne films:

1932 The Shadow Of The Eagle (series)
1932 The Hurricane Express (film version)
1933 His Private Secretary
1933 Baby Face
1933 Riders of Destiny
1933 Sagebush Trail
1934 The Lucky Texan
1934 West of the Divide
1934 Blue Steel
1934 The Man from Utah
1934 Randy Rides Alone
1934 The Star Packer
1934 The Trail Beyond
1934 The Lawless Frontier
1934 Neath the Arizona Skies
1935 Texas Terror
1935 Rainbow Valley
1935 The Desert Trail
1935 The Dawn Rider
1935 Paradise Canyon
1935 Lawless Range
1936 Winds of the Wasteland
1937 Born to the West (alias title: Hell Town)
1938 Overland Stage Riders
1939 Stagecoach
1940 Dark Command
1942 Reap the Wild Wind
1942 The Spoilers
1942 In Old California
1942 Reunion in France (alias title: Mademoiselle France)
1943 In Old Oklahoma (alias title: War of the Wildcats)
1944 Back to Bataan
1945 Dakota
1947 Angel and the Badman
1948 Red River
1948 Fort Apache
1948 3 Godfathers
1948 Wake of the Red Witch
1949 The Fighting Kentuckian
1949 She Wore a Yellow Ribbon
1951 Operation Pacific
1951 Flying Leathernecks
1952 The Quiet Man
1953 Island in the Sky
1953 Hondo
1954 The High and the Mighty
1955 Blood Alley
1956 The Searchers
1959 Rio Bravo
1959 The Horse Soldiers
1960 The Alamo
1960 North to Alaska
1961 The Comancheros
1962 The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
1962 The Longest Day
1962 How the West Was Won
1963 McClintock!
1965 In Harm's Way
1967 The War Wagon
1967 El Dorado
1969 True Grit
1969 The Undefeated
1970 Chisum
1973 The Train Robbers
1973 Cahill, United States Marshall (alias title: Cahill)
1974 McQ
1975 Brannigan

I own between 70 and 80 John Wayne films of which are between 60 and 70 official releases. I have seen a couple of films on internet (so I don't own them), plus I have some unofficial releases/downloaded versions.

I have a "John Wayne"-wishlist of between 60 and 75 films (of which 29 are very much wanted, let's say the most wanted. ;) )

These are the 29 most wanted, which I still would love to have on official release. I am not in a hurry, I have still hundreds of other films I'd like to obtain as well, and I'll probably never have them all before I die. ;)

1931 Range Feud
1932 Texas Cyclone
1932 Two Fisted Law
1932 Ride Him, Cowboy (alias title: The Hawk)
1932 The Big Stampede
1932 Haunted Gold
1933 The Telegraph Trail
1933 Somewhere in Sonora
1933 The Man from Monterey
1934 The Trail Beyond
1935 Rainbow Valley
1935 Westward Ho
1935 The New Frontier
1936 The Oregon Trail
1936 The Lawless Nineties
1936 King of the Pecos
1936 The Lonely Trail
1938 Pals of the Saddle
1938 Overland Stage Riders
1938 Santa Fe Stampede
1938 Red River Range
1939 The Night Riders
1939 Three Texas Steers (alias title: Danger Rides The Range)
1939 Wyoming Outlaw
1939 New Frontier (alias title: Frontier Horizon)
1939 Allegheny Uprising (alias title: The First Rebel)
1940 The Long Voyage Home
1941 The Sheppard of the Hills
1942 Flying Tigers

Last but not least, I'd love to recommend this John Wayne film.

Island in the Sky (1953)

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Maybe my favourite John Wayne film. Nice black and white cinematography, aerial footage, and acting!

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_9ppk5WpjmTc/T ... ture+3.png[/img]

His acting was different from what I was used to. Not a tough cowboy, rather a more concerned person, who does his best to survive and help his collegues.

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The script was based on a true story about a flight on 3 February 1943, (although there happens to be a deviation which I'll not mention, it would be a spoiler).

I tell you it's an engaging story of survival in very harsh conditions, and hope of rescue. Try and see it whenever you have the chance!

So far this crazy account of John Wayne films by yours truly. ;)
 
That is a lot of John Wayne films, I am not a big fan of westerns in general, but do enjoy Wayne's WWII films Back to Bataan and The Longest Day being the best of the bunch IMO
 
I certainly enjoyed those two. In Harm's Way is pretty nice too, and I assume that Sands of Iwo Jima is as well (haven't seen it yet).

In York I bought They Were Expendable. That should be one of the better ones.
 
Forostar said:
I certainly enjoyed those two. In Harm's Way is pretty nice too, and I assume that Sands of Iwo Jima is as well (haven't seen it yet).

In York I bought They Were Expendable. That should be one of the better ones.
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Sands of Iwo Jima was a really good one, that one suffers a bit for me after seeing Flags of Our Fathers/Letters From Iwo Jima, but still a good movie.  They were expendable was a really good one as well as was Flying Tigers. 
 
Not sure if Netflix is an option for you, but Flying Tigers is on the instant view (streaming) list.  Did not get an exact count, but looks like there are about 25 John Wayne movies in total that can be streamed.
 
I really appreciate your help man. :)

But the thing is, in this case I have this film but not on an official DVD. I'd love to own this one for real, I'm a old fashioned collector.  :blush:
 
Gotcha at one point I had a ton of DVDs (and Laser Discs), but have been slowly getting rid of them over the past 3 years as they become permanently streaming movies (and my collector obsession has moved more towards records).
 
Watching one of my favorite classic films on HDNet tonight--Blazing Saddles:   

-Qualifications?
-Rape, murder, arson and rape.
-You said rape twice?
-I like rape. 
-Charming.

(And, same scene:) -Where are all the white women at?

They don't, and sadly can't, make movies like this any more.  Too politically incorrect.  Mel Brooks was a genius.
 
I agree there. I particularly like the scene when the main character arrives in town, and he puts the gun to his own head.

"Stand back, or the n*gger gets it!"
"He's crazy, he'll do it!"
 
Vera Cruz (1954)

A Western with Gary Cooper and Burt Lancaster, the only time these giants did a film together.
It was a pretty nice film with some really cool variety in the camera work. The film was done entirely in Mexico.
I also saw some cool old temples, but lack the knowledge to say which they were.

Also we get an early role for Charles Bronson (still called Charles Buchinsky).

When it came out, one scene was considered as shocking. In it Lancaster's character threatens to murder child hostages.
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Another film I saw was a 1940 John Wayne film called Three Faces West, also featuring Charles Coburn.
The film was interesting, showing Wayne in a very non-typical role. On wiki I read that it is an unusual film, with a political agenda that seems to be part pro New Deal, it is part anti-fascist and part pro good old American community values. It sometimes comes across a more conservative answer to The Grapes of Wrath.
It indeed reminded me of Grapes, but then different.
 
I watched North By Northwest last night, which was absolutely stunning. Cary Grant's character had a delicious streak of sarcasm to him. I haven't seen a Hitchcock I haven't liked yet. The Man Who Knew Too Much was probably my least favourite, but it was still good.
 
Robbiedbee said:
I watched North By Northwest last night, which was absolutely stunning. Cary Grant's character had a delicious streak of sarcasm to him. I haven't seen a Hitchcock I haven't liked yet. The Man Who Knew Too Much was probably my least favourite, but it was still good.
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If you want to keep it like that dont watch marnie.
 
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Hitchcock-Disc-Box-Set-DVD/dp/B000BND224/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1309376481&sr=8-1

Well I took this boxed set, and augmented it with North By Northwest and Dial M For Murder. I've seen nearly half of them so far (ranked from best to worst)

Rear Window
Rope
North By Northwest
Shadow of a Doubt
The Birds
The Man Who Knew Too Much

I'll remember that about Marnie. I assumed I'd love it with Sean Connery being in it, but never mind.

One thing I've loved about my Hitchcock journey so far is discovering James Stewart, he's a superb actor.
 
Its not so much dont watch it just leave till you've seen the classics first
I'm not a big fan of his last bunch  of films with the exception of frenzy
 
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