Tuesday, June 27, 2006

"This is war! This is not a game of cricket!"

I have crossed some more films off of my list:

10. SINGIN' IN THE RAIN (1952)

16. ALL ABOUT EVE (1950)

13. THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI (1957)


I liked Singin' in the Rain. Gene Kelly is an amazing dancer, and the movie has some very funny moments. I also liked Debbie Reynolds quite a bit; I think it is the first time I have seen a movie from her heyday. (I mostly know her from Will & Grace, after all.) Overall, Singin' in the Rain is not really my kind of film, so I would not really put it so high on my own list, but I did appreciate its qualities, and I got a kick out of it. The film is worth seeing just for Donald O'Connor's performance, especially his Vaudeville slapstick routine of "Make 'Em Laugh," which completely steals the show.


I have similar feelings about All About Eve, I guess. I enjoyed it, and I relished Bette Davis's performance as an over-the-top actress being stalked by a younger actress. And I think it deserves to be recognized as a great film . . . but I would not put it so high up on the list. But if you have never seen a Bette Davis performance, this is a great one to see.


The Bridge on the River Kwai -- now this one I loved. The film is another epic by David Lean, who directed Lawrence of Arabia, and tells the story of a group of POWs in a Japanese prison camp who set out to build a bridge for the Japanese government. Alec Guinness (yep, Obi-Wan) plays the colonel of the prisoners, and he is determined to build the bridge with pride and skill, even though the bridge will help the enemy -- He believes this is British work ethic. Meanwhile, an escaped American POW, played by William Holden, joins a mission to blow up the bridge. The film overflows with beautiful imagery and stirring performances, highlighted by Guinness's slightly insane colonel.

Long before he became one with the Force


8 Comments:

At 9:33 PM, Anonymous Anonymous posited...

Hey! I just stumbled upon your blog via the "next blog" button! What are the odds of running into another Grinnell grad?

Amy Goldmacher '96

 
At 9:38 PM, Blogger undulatingorb posited...

Why is Singin' In the Rain not your kind of movie?

 
At 9:41 PM, Blogger CoachDub posited...

Small world, Amy!

 
At 9:46 PM, Blogger CoachDub posited...

Jill, I know it is your favorite movie, and as I said, I enjoyed it a lot. But I was not really interested in some of the longer musical numbers later in the film. I liked all of the main characters and the voiceover storyline, but the straight-up musical aspects just weren't my cup of tea.

 
At 10:14 AM, Anonymous Anonymous posited...

One of my favorite parts of Singin' in the Rain (and an oft-mutated phrase in my house): I cain't staind 'im (complete with whiny nasal tone)

Timeless :)

 
At 8:23 PM, Anonymous Anonymous posited...

I'm with you on all 3 of these movies! Guess you may have inherited your, I hate to say, aversion to musicals from me.

 
At 8:31 PM, Blogger CoachDub posited...

Kathy, I also liked Jean Hagen's performance. She was quite entertaining.

 
At 8:32 PM, Blogger CoachDub posited...

Mom, I guess that's why I never saw these movies while I was growing up! (Although I do love Chicago and Moulin Rouge!)

 

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