Classic cinema - thoughts and questions


Recently watched this mini doc on Ingrid Bergman and her "scandal." I recently talked about it with my mom and she immediately reacted as though this had happened yesterday and called it, "appalling." I told her that honestly I didn't get it. Considering that classic and modern Hollywood have had a number of really troubling scandals. From Fatty Arbuckle to Roman Polanski and, of course, how can we forget Weinstein? I think the doc does a good job of stating that even for the time the scandal was blown out of proportion and had little to do with what she did and more with the feathers she dare ruffle. Reminds me a little of when Brad Pitt left Jennifer Aniston for Angelina Jolie after filming Mr. and Mrs. Smith. Sure the internet was divided, some saying the couple, "made more sense" (whatever that means), or painted Jolie as a homewrecker and Anniston as a victim, both views completely ignoring that the person commiting the adultery was Pitt. But overall, people just took it with a giant, "meh." Nobody was "exiled" or "banned." Today no one cares about it, but Bergman's is still a point of interest.
 
____no5 said:
Ultra classic if you ask me. There are many considering it the best movie ever made including Citizen Kane.
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I gotta say its my fav movie of all time. Id say the trilogy all told is incredible movie making. I know a lot people dont care much for part 3 but i think its worth watching for the reward at the end.
 
Christopher Baines said:
I gotta say its my fav movie of all time. Id say the trilogy all told is incredible movie making. I know a lot people dont care much for part 3 but i think its worth watching for the reward at the end.
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I agree that Godfather pt. III gets more hate than it deserves. It's not a "bad" movie, it just had the unfortunate task to follow up two of the greatest films ever. The plot isn't as "exciting" as there is less action and more conspiring, but I like the drama between Michael trying to take the family legit and Andy Garcia's temperament. Rumor has it they were working on a fourth entry with Andy Garcia heading the family, but Mario Puzo's death made Coppola abandon the project as Puzo had been instrumental in writing and consulting the other three films.
 
Onhell said:
I agree that Godfather pt. III gets more hate than it deserves. It's not a "bad" movie, it just had the unfortunate task to follow up two of the greatest films ever. The plot isn't as "exciting" as there is less action and more conspiring, but I like the drama between Michael trying to take the family legit and Andy Garcia's temperament. Rumor has it they were working on a fourth entry with Andy Garcia heading the family, but Mario Puzo's death made Coppola abandon the project as Puzo had been instrumental in writing and consulting the other three films.
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Its an enjoyable movie for sure, but as you say its following up two of the greatest movies of all time. I still think Michaels battles within himself and his struggle to come to terms with the terrible things he's done and the eventually paying the ultimate price, its still great storytelling.
 
Onhell said:
I agree that Godfather pt. III gets more hate than it deserves. It's not a "bad" movie, it just had the unfortunate task to follow up two of the greatest films ever. The plot isn't as "exciting" as there is less action and more conspiring, but I like the drama between Michael trying to take the family legit and Andy Garcia's temperament. Rumor has it they were working on a fourth entry with Andy Garcia heading the family, but Mario Puzo's death made Coppola abandon the project as Puzo had been instrumental in writing and consulting the other three films.
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It's not convincing. The chemistry between Coppola & Garcia is non existent, the hit at the Atlantic City is laughable, in many ways it feels rushed and repetitive.
 
____no5 said:
It's not convincing. The chemistry between Coppola & Garcia is non existent, the hit at the Atlantic City is laughable, in many ways it feels rushed and repetitive.
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They did have some issues with this movie. It was in the works basically after pt. II, but kept getting delayed and finally done 10 years later. Then there was the Winnona Ryder-Sofia Coppola thing when Winnona had to leave the project due to exhaustion (she was hospitalized), and Coppola casting his own daughter. Much has been said of her acting as well, but honestly, while not great, it's not awful either. Then Robert Duvall pulling out because of a money dispute. It's a miracle to movie got made to begin with. What we got was... good, but again, good isn't good enough when you have to follow great.
 
Godfather is interesting because I think it is actually a bridge between the "classic" cinema that Foro describes in this thread (see the opening post) and modern cinema. Kinda funny when you consider the movie is over 50 years old, but it's an early influencer for modern blockbusters/epics/dramas. There's even a bit of a passing of the torch going from Brando (at that point a silver screen legend) and Pacino. Then you've got Francis Ford Coppola making his first major film and one of the earliest from that group of innovative 70s directors who would go on to define movies for the next few decades (see also Lucas, DePalma, Spielberg).
 
Mosh said:
Godfather is interesting because I think it is actually a bridge between the "classic" cinema that Foro describes in this thread (see the opening post) and modern cinema. Kinda funny when you consider the movie is over 50 years old...
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I think there is an important distinction to be made between "Golden Era" cinema and "classic" I mean, they do play Nirvana on "classic" rock stations now and My GF likes to call any movie 20 years or more "old." So while something being "classic" due to just age, quality or both can be debated, I think it is fairly well established that the Golden Age of cinema worldwide was the 40s/50s.
 
Onhell said:
I think there is an important distinction to be made between "Golden Era" cinema and "classic" I mean, they do play Nirvana on "classic" rock stations now and My GF likes to call any movie 20 years or more "old." So while something being "classic" due to just age, quality or both can be debated, I think it is fairly well established that the Golden Age of cinema worldwide was the 40s/50s.
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It’s true, I’m just saying that The Godfather has more in common with the movies of today than with the 40s, but yea there’s a separate distinction for stuff that is just old.

The Nirvana comparison is interesting because I actually do think Nirvana should be lumped in with the classic rock stuff. At the time they were seen as a brand new direction for rock music but I think if you look at what came after (and really consider what the grunge bands were inspired by), Nirvana actually marks the end of the golden rock era. The Godfather is kinda opposite because it’s the beginning of the Hollywood/blockbuster era that we’re still kind of in.*

*I actually think we’re about to see a huge shift here though. Once Marvel and other superhero movies fall out of the mainstream, and with the reckoning of the industry that’s happening due to strikes/AI/streaming, audiences are going to look for smaller scale projects from studios like A24/Neon/etc and the idea of a Hollywood blockbuster will become more of a relic.
 
Mosh said:
Godfather is interesting because I think it is actually a bridge between the "classic" cinema that Foro describes in this thread (see the opening post) and modern cinema. Kinda funny when you consider the movie is over 50 years old, but it's an early influencer for modern blockbusters/epics/dramas. There's even a bit of a passing of the torch going from Brando (at that point a silver screen legend) and Pacino. Then you've got Francis Ford Coppola making his first major film and one of the earliest from that group of innovative 70s directors who would go on to define movies for the next few decades (see also Lucas, DePalma, Spielberg).
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Circling back to The Godfather: everyone should watch the show The Offer on Paramount Plus. It's a 10 episode mini series detailing the making of The Godfather from the POV of Al Ruddy, the producer. It's a fantastic show with a great cast. I understand some elements might be stretched for dramatic detail but it's based on true events.
 
More TV than cinema, but RIP to Bob Newhart. Star of 2 incredibly popular shows (The Bob Newhart Show and Newhart)

Legend is a term thrown around too much IMO .. Newhart actually was one. Bob Newhart Show, Newhart, his comedy. Yes I will actually admit to liking Big Bang Theory and he was awesome on that. Added bonus, fine taste in baseball teams.

Comedy is a lot about delivery .. and his was just perfect
 
I saw the 4k upgrade of Seven Samurai in theaters last night. Not sure how long this will be playing and it's a very limited release (only one theater near me was showing it), but I highly recommend people take advantage of the opportunity to see this classic in a theater. The 4k upgrade is incredible, a level of detail that I didn't even realize was possible with this kind of old film. It basically looks brand new!
 
Just bought tickets to see this .. should be fun
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Alfred Hitchcock The Lodger - Dallas Chamber Symphony

October 15, 2024 at 7:30 p.m. Moody Performance Hall Alfred Hitchcock’s The Lodger 2520 Flora Street, Dallas, TX 75201 Enjoy Alfred Hitchcock’s timeless classic, The Lodger, as the Dallas Chamber Symphony performs an original, DCS-commissioned score, written by Douglas Pipes; Richard McKay...
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Enjoy Alfred Hitchcock’s timeless classic, The Lodger, as the Dallas Chamber Symphony performs an original, DCS-commissioned score, written by Douglas Pipes; Richard McKay conducts.
 
RIP Maggie Smith

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