Classic films appreciation thread - come and join us!

[PrivateParkin]

Following on from the recent thread about favourite actors from old films, @FatBallsAndSunflowerSeeds had the fab idea of an old movies appreciation thread... So here it is! If you like old films and actors of any kind, come and join us.

old thread

We thought we'd look out for any classic films being shown on TV, post them on this thread and then discuss them afterwards... But if you want to post about any of your favourite old films and actors at any time, that would also be fab. Basically, this is just a place to chat about old films - please come and join us!

I'm off to check the TV schedules for any potential gems coming up - I will post again with anything that looks good.

Meantime, here's James Cagney tap dancing down the stairs in Yankee Doodle Dandy - happy bank holiday everyone
m.youtube.com/watch?v=xlvB4xk4LNQ

Yes or blooming reality shows/programmes about blooming motorways!! Is this what passes for entertainment these days?!

You’re right, but I suspect the issue here is that the main channels’ idea of an old film is something from the 1990s (and, after all, they are pretty old and older than much of the audience). They are probably afraid too that, in this age of HD tv and electronic effects and gizmos, there isn’t much audience for black and white films.

And I agree that there is an oversupply of Motorway cops, obsessive compulsive cleaners and border patrol (all made in Chelsea) spend 24 hours in A&E where there’s one born every minute type programmes!

Such a great idea Monica - if they just merged all those shows into one, they could free up more time in the schedule for old films!

There definitely used to be more oldies on terrestrial channels, but it doesn't seem to happen much now - except at Christmas, when there always seem to be a few classics on. Or am I just looking at things through my rose-tinted glasses?!?

I'm still working on my programme idea before I pitch it to Channel 4! How about Motorway cops, obsessive compulsive cleaners and border patrol (all made in Chelsea) spend 24 hours in A&E where there’s one born every minute before escaping to their chateau in the country where the MasterChef will be cooking Jamie's healthy recipes? What have I left out?

Oh and I think you're right, probably for the reasons I suggest above. They don't realise how many of us enjoy old films.

Iirc, this is precisely why Talking Pictures was set up: because nobody else shows these films any more. You're all right - there's a massive treasure-trove of old films out there but do we see them? Nope, or only occasionally....the odd Astaire & Rogers at Christmas, or a token outing for 'The Wizard of Oz'.

I've said it before on this thread (sorry ) but my love of old films was nurtured in childhood by watching all sorts of wonderful things on, mainly, BBC2. Some years on, Channel 4 showed films in the afternoons and we used to tape them (!!) and watch them later. Then people started to think that anything in B & W was unacceptable and impossibly antique, so they disappeared too.

I've noticed that in those 'favourite films of all time' lists you see in magazines these days, 'all time' seems to go back to the ancient days of....er, the 1990's or so. There's often no conception of anything before that at all.

I think that's exactly it Halsall - we were able to "discover" old films just from exposure to them, by just coming across them on BBC2! Whereas now, most youngsters (!) probably watch most films on Netflix etc where they hardly show any old films. Sigh.

Powell and Pressburger aficionados - The Wild Heart is on Talking Pics tonight at 9.10pm (sorry non-UK based classic film fans). It's the David O. Selznick edited version, of which Powell apparently said he left hardly any of the original story. IMDb says some of the deleted scenes were crucial to the plot so it doesn't make as much sense as it should - but might be worth a look anyway.

Oops should have added - the original P&P version was Gone To Earth

I'm not sure how the schedulers work it out. It seems pretty lazy to me sometimes....

'Shall we put Gladiator on this week?'

'Yeah, why not? We haven't shown it for at least a fortnight'.

I was horrified to see that Gladiator is 18 years old! (There was something in the news yesterday about Russell Crowe going to a screening at the Coliseum!) - so perhaps that counts as old these days Milly ?!

The Smallest Show on Earth is on Talking Pictures tonight at 10.55! I know this was mentioned earlier in the thread... Have set it to record. Now have ridiculous amount of old films to watch! Luckily I'm off work tomorrow so I can catch up on one or two...

We watched the end of The Wild Heart. I felt (trying to be diplomatic) that it hadn't aged well, although I had never seen Cyril Cusack as a youngish man so enjoyed that.

Raintree County is on TCM channel right now. It's an oddly bonkers Southern Belle melodrama but an interesting watch.

Finally watching Rebecca! Joan Fontaine is just beautiful.

Raintree County sounds intriguing creme ! One for Gone With the Wind fans?!

Yes Raintree County was criticised for being a Gone With the Wind clone. It's also pretty long drawn out and strange. Amazing costumes though.

It's more interesting for its behind the scenes drama. Leading man Montgomery Clift was badly injured in a car accident during filming and production halted while he recovered. He had to have surgery to wire his jaw back together as it was broken in 3 places. The left side of his face was partially paralysed and this is apparent in later scenes. He descended into drink & drugs as a result.

Leading lady Elizabeth Taylor also had problems during the production with her period clothing, and on one occasion she collapsed from hyperventilation and was treated with Clift's bottle of Demerol and a syringe. She then took over a week to recover from tachycardia following the incident.

Good grief. What offscreen dramas. I knew about Montgomery Clift’s accident and later troubles, but not that it happened during the making of that film.

I don’t watch to the end, but last night saw a large chunk of The Birthday Party with a youthful Robert Shaw on dear old Talking Pictures.

Poor Elizabeth Taylor had horrific health problems throughout her life. It's no wonder that many of them were hooked on drugs, doubtless prescribed by studio doctors half the time to keep them working at full capacity.

Yes, no doubt Bagel. Quite a dubious set-up in that way.

Rebecca was as good as I remembered. I've read the book so many times though that any deviation from the plot was a bit annoying. Especially the bit where Mrs Danvers sycophantically explains that Rebecca's underwear was made specially for her by nuns that was definitely not in the book and also seemed such a pointless thing to put in (although it did give me a laugh)!

Oh btw if anyone listens to the You Must Remember This podcast as recommended by Halsall I believe - a new series starts on 3 July. I've really enjoyed the episodes I've heard so far (about Joan Crawford and Jean Harlow). There are some pretty tragic tales as the info on Montgomery Clift suggests! So awful Creme

Is there anything you'd recommend on the telly tonight, Private Parkin? I have appointed you my film guru.

And didn't Judy Garland's problems begin when studio doctors prescribed her ampehatamines or similar when she was a teenager? Studios seem to have been quite ruthless machines, as the series about Bette and Joan also demonstrated.

Glad to see this thread is still going!

We've had a bit of a John Ford themed week with Stagecoach, the Grapes of Wrath and The Searchers. I'm generally not too keen on westerns but there's enough in these to keep even me going. I think he's the one who started the craze for filming in Monument Valley and really set the tone for a lot of films in the genre, so it's quite interesting.

Have you seen the Mitchell and Webb satire on Rebecca?

It looks like slim pickings tonight Monica. They Shoot Horses Don't They is on Talking Pictures (where else?!) later, although I have to say I'm not a fan of it at all! I can't see that there are any good oldies on. Do you have Sky cinema by any chance? There are a few good classics on there at the mo. The Monuments Men is on E4 and that's great but far too new to be officially recommend on here

PS However, The Ladykillers is on Film 4 tomorrow at 11am.

Your John Ford-themed viewing sounds good avva. I studied his films at university - Iclearly remember analysing to death that framing shot in The Searchers, with John Wayne standing in a doorway and this vast expanse of land and sky stretching out in front of him. I agree his films aren't your bog-standard westerns though - much more of a substantial story to them. I love The Grapes of Wrath, as I've probably mentioned loads of times already - it's a hard film to "enjoy" as such, but a very powerful one.