Fab Flicks

No, my little kittens, I haven't abandoned this blog of mine in pursuit of more rewarding leisure activities - although now, being 21, social functions tend to promise a bit more fun than, say, googling in vain for a suitable photo of Randolph Scott to post. I haven't given up on classic movies! In fact, in the past two weeks alone I've seen:


Grand Hotel, 1931 - Joan Crawford, Lionel Barrymore, The Great Garbo
Der Blaue Engel (The Blue Angel), 1934 - Marlene Dietrich, Emil Jannings
Camille, 1936 - Greta Garbo, Robert Taylor...Mmm, mmm, mmm, Robert Taylor
Young Mr. Lincoln, 1939 - Henry Fonda
Love Crazy, 1941 - William Powell, Myrna Loy
Presenting Lily Mars, 1943 - Judy Garland, Van Heflin
Meet John Doe, 1941 - Barbara Stanwyck, Gary Cooper
Gaslight, 1944 - Ingrid Bergman, Charles Boyer
Christmas in Connecticut, 1945 - Barbara Stanwyck, Dennis Morgan
The Snake Pit, 1948 - Olivia de Havilland opposite a very handsome Mark Stevens - whatever happened to him?!
The Heiress, 1949 - Liv de Hav, Montgomery Clift
Two for the Road, 1968 - Audrey Hepburn, Albert Finney


and I wasn't even tryin'. Camille's achingly tender romance and incredible lead characters (it was my first Robert Taylor film, and yes, I am officially in love); that inimitable Powell/Loy camaraderie and saucy slapstick; Barbara Stanwyck flirting with Dennis Morgan in a barn - I must say, oh, what wonderful films. The only downer in the lot was Meet John Doe, a veritable ear of "Capra corn" rife with social commentary as played out through a long and tenuous plot. Cooper and Stanwyck don't fail to shine, but the material is so somber, it feels as though it comes second to the message our director so desperately wants to relay to, and instill in, us. There is still relevancy in much of its depiction of mankind and society today, but...I'll be honest. I liked them best when Stany was a stripper and Coop played the smitten professor.