Title: Sudden Fear
Stars: Joan Crawford, Gloria Grahme, Jack Palance, and Jack Palance's cheekbones
Genre: Film Noir
Synopsis: Joan Crawford stars as a wealthy playwright who begins the movie by firing Jack Palance from her latest play. A chance meeting between the two on the train to San Francisco (where Crawford's character lives and owns 2 houses) results in marriage. But is Jack Palance to be trusted? Does he actully love Joan Crawford or he scheming with former flame Gloria Grahme to bump off Joan Crawford and inherit his wife's family fortune?
Why It is So Good: Film noir is one of my favorite genres, so I am always willing to give one a try. I love trying to figure out the plot and appreciate the economicalness of the plot. In most film noir, there are no sideplots or subplots that go nowhere or have no impact on the main plot. Most seems to follow the Chekov adage that a gun shown in the first act will go off in the third act. As a result, most film noir movies are short, running between 90 and 110 minutes; I think that longest one I have seen was about 2 hours. And Sudden Fear is no different, the plot runs along at a good clip and nothing is introduced that is not used at a later point. Also, Joan Crawford is on the most proactive potential victims in the genre. Furthermore, like any good film noir, Sudden Fear makes you question the morality of all the characters on the screen.
Showing posts with label Movies you should see. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Movies you should see. Show all posts
Friday, October 04, 2013
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
Movies You Should See: The More the Merrier
Title: The More The Merrier
Director: George Stevens
Stars: Jean Arthur, Joel McCrea, Charles Coburn
Synopsis: In crowded World War II Washington DC, Mr. Dingle (Charles Coburn) arrives for a meeting a few days early and finds that there is no room at his hotel due to a wartime housing storage. Doing her patriotic duty Ms. Milligan (Jean Arthur) places a ad to rent out the spare room of her apartment which eventually goes to Mr. Dingle (through some slight trickery on his part). Mr. Dingle then rents out half of the spare room to Joe (Joel McCrea) a GI on his way out of the country for a war assignment. Despite Ms. Milligan being engaged, Mr. Dingle is convinced that Joe is the perfect match for her.
Why Should You Watch This: All three leads have great comedic timing and while most of their scenes together rely on physical comedy which can feel old after seeing it once, after repeated viewings these scene still feel fresh and natural. McCrea and Arthur have really great romantic chemistry and their courtship feels realistic. But beyond all this, the script and the direction are just really well done, the script is at time funny and touching and the directing is done with such a light hand. I have a little extra enjoyment for the movie now that I have lived in DC for a few years now.
You Might Like This If You Enjoyed: The Women or The Shop Around the Corner
Director: George Stevens
Stars: Jean Arthur, Joel McCrea, Charles Coburn
Synopsis: In crowded World War II Washington DC, Mr. Dingle (Charles Coburn) arrives for a meeting a few days early and finds that there is no room at his hotel due to a wartime housing storage. Doing her patriotic duty Ms. Milligan (Jean Arthur) places a ad to rent out the spare room of her apartment which eventually goes to Mr. Dingle (through some slight trickery on his part). Mr. Dingle then rents out half of the spare room to Joe (Joel McCrea) a GI on his way out of the country for a war assignment. Despite Ms. Milligan being engaged, Mr. Dingle is convinced that Joe is the perfect match for her.
Why Should You Watch This: All three leads have great comedic timing and while most of their scenes together rely on physical comedy which can feel old after seeing it once, after repeated viewings these scene still feel fresh and natural. McCrea and Arthur have really great romantic chemistry and their courtship feels realistic. But beyond all this, the script and the direction are just really well done, the script is at time funny and touching and the directing is done with such a light hand. I have a little extra enjoyment for the movie now that I have lived in DC for a few years now.
You Might Like This If You Enjoyed: The Women or The Shop Around the Corner
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